According To The Scriptures:

BIBLE ANSWERS

BIBLE QUESTIONS

(Newest questions are at top)

MISCELLANEOUS BIBLE QUESTIONS

QUESTION: What is the shortest book in the Old Testament?

ANSWER: The Book of Obadiah -- one chapter with 21 verses.

QUESTION: What does it mean to "interpret the Scriptures by the Scriptures" because "no prophecy of the Scriptures is of any private interpretation" (II Pet. 1:20-21)?

ANSWER: It means that you cannot take one verse of Scripture and make a doctrine out of it. All Scriptures are to be harmonized with all other Scriptures pertaining to any particular subject. If you have a doctrine that contradicts some other Scripture, you don't have the right answer. The Scriptures teach (II Tim. 2:15) "rightly dividing the word of truth" so, if you have a doctrine that seemingly contradicts another doctrine, the doctrine isn't true because the Bible must harmonize with every true doctrine.

QUESTION: What happened to the devils (unclean spirits) that Jesus cast out of the men and into the swine (Matt. 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)? Did the demons die when the swine ran into the sea and perished, or did they go into some other body?

ANSWER: Demons are spirits -- and spirits do not die; therefore, the demons did not die. To say what happened to the demons when the swine perished would be supposition since it is not revealed in the Scriptures.

QUESTION: In John 8:35, who is the Son referring to? Why is the word "Son" capitalized?

ANSWER: The "Son" is referring to Jesus, the Son of God. When "Son" is capitalized in the Bible it is referring to Jesus. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is proving that He is God (John 8:19, 24, 35, 36) and offering Himself to make them free: ". . . the Son abideth ever. If the Son (God the Son) therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Only God can make a person free.

QUESTION: How many people are justified by the works of the law?

ANSWER: No man (Gal. 2:16; 3:11).

QUESTION: Could man ever be made righteous by the law?

ANSWER: No. If righteousness comes by the law, Christ is dead in vain (Gal. 2:21).

QUESTION: What shall the just live by?

ANSWER: Faith (Gal. 3:11).

QUESTION: Is the law of faith?

ANSWER: No (Gal. 3:12).

QUESTION: By whom was the law given?

ANSWER: Moses (John 1:17).

QUESTION: By whom did grace and truth come?

ANSWER: Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

QUESTION:The law and the prophets were until whom?

ANSWER: John (Luke 16:16).

QUESTION: Since John, what is preached?

ANSWER: The kingdom of God (Luke 16:16).

QUESTION: To whom is Christ "the end of the law for righteousness"?

ANSWER: To every one that believeth (Rom. 10:4).

QUESTION: What does "the letter" do?

ANSWER: The "letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (II Cor. 3:6).

QUESTION: What is the law, written and engraven in stones, called?

ANSWER: The "ministration of death" (II Cor. 3:7); the "ministration of condemnation" (II Cor. 3:9).

QUESTION: Has the law, written and engraven in stones, been done away?

ANSWER: Yes (II Cor. 3:11).

QUESTION: Has the law, written and engraven in stones, been abolished?

ANSWER: Yes (II Cor. 3:13).

QUESTION: What was the purpose of the law?

ANSWER: To stop the mouth of man and to make man realize guilt (Rom. 3:19); and to give knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).

QUESTION: Can anyone be justified in the sight of God by the deeds of the law?

ANSWER: No (Rom. 3:20).

QUESTION: Did the law bring us to Christ?

ANSWER: Yes, the law was our "schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal. 3:24).

QUESTION: After faith is come, are we still under the schoolmaster (law)?

ANSWER: No, "after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal. 4:25).

QUESTION: In Rev. 1:12, what churches are represented by the seven golden candlesticks?

ANSWER: The churches in Rev. 1:12 were the seven churches of Asia (Rev. 1:20). Today the churches that are represented by the golden candlesticks are the churches that are abiding by God's Word. The only ones that I know of today that are abiding by God's Word are the old-time Missionary Baptist Churches. There may be (and I hope there are) others that I am not familiar with.

QUESTION: In Rev. 1:13, who walks in the midst?

ANSWER: The angel representing Jesus is the one walking in the midst of the churches. Jesus is on the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).

QUESTION: In Rev. 1:16, who holds the seven stars in his right hand?

ANSWER: Read Rev. 22:16: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches..."

Jesus actually holds the seven stars in his right hand (Rev. 1:16). Example: My roof has to be replaced. I have a contract, but I doubt that the one who holds the contract to do the work will even see the roof, yet the job is his.

QUESTION: Why is it so hard for men who claim to be called of God to sit with other brethren and study to learn the absolute truth of God's Word?

ANSWER: The Bible teaches us that we are to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3). It is so important that a person be in truth that all preachers should be willing to sit down with a person seeking the right way and discuss any difference of doctrine, peacefully and quietly, until a Bible truth is decided upon.

QUESTION: What is God's greatest commandment?

ANSWER: The answer to this question was clearly answered by Jesus Christ in Matt. 22:36-38:

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with

all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

QUESTION: If we love God, then why is it so hard for us to do the greatest commandment?

ANSWER: The reason that it is so hard to keep this greatest commandment is that the saved person is a two-fold being: body (born of flesh) and soul (born of God), and there is a conflict between the body and the spirit (Rom. 7:15-25; Gal. 5:17; John 3:6).

QUESTION: On what day of the week was Jesus crucified?

ANSWER: Obviously, Jesus was crucified on Wednesday.

The tradition of men (which Jesus condemned, Matt. 15:6-9) teaches that Christ was crucified on Friday and, thus, it is called "Good Friday". However, this teaching denies what Jesus taught while here on earth.

In Matt. 12:40, Jesus said, "For as Jonas was THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth."

Jesus said that He would rise again "AFTER THREE DAYS" (Mark 8:31; Matt. 27:63), emphasizing that His resurrection would be MORE than three days after His crucifixion. There is no possible way for Christ to have been crucified on Friday and resurrected in the early morning on Sunday (the first day of the week).

According to the Scriptures, Jesus was crucified about the third hour (9:00 a.m., Mark 15:25), and darkness was over the earth from about the sixth hour (noon) until about the ninth hour (3:00 p.m., Luke 23:44-46) when Jesus died.

According to the Scriptures, Jesus rose on the "FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK" (Matt. 28:1-7; Luke 24:1-8).

In order for Jesus to rise again the "FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK", and for His resurrection to be "AFTER THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS", He would have been crucified and died on Wednesday, and resurrected on Sunday, the first day of the week. (NOTICE: AFTER THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS -- a few hours after Jesus died on Wednesday afternoon plus Wednesday night/Thursday; Thursday night/Friday; Friday night/Saturday).

Should we believe the tradition of men -- or the words of Jesus?

QUESTION: In John 20:17, Jesus would not let Mary touch him--until he ascended unto his Father. Jesus did not ascend unto his Father until 40 days later--why did he allow Thomas to touch him after the 8th day?

ANSWER: There are several points to consider:

The passage in John 20:17, which is translated "Touch me not" in the King James Version, has footnotes and references indicating that it means "Do not detain me" or "Stop clinging to me". In other versions, it is translated as "Do not hold on to me" (New International Version), and "Do not hold me" (Revised Standard Version), etc. Young's Analytical Concordance defines the word translated "Touch" in John 20:17 as "To touch, hold on, embrace".

Whether Jesus meant literally "Do not touch me" or "Do not detain me", His words to Mary were spoken AFTER His resurrection but BEFORE He had ascended to His Father that day with His blood atonement. "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but BY HIS OWN BLOOD he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12).

According to the Scriptures, Jesus ascended to His Father with His blood atonement on the day of His resurrection (AFTER His words to Mary). At that time, "WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN. (Now that HE ASCENDED, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8-10)

NOTE: This was when paradise (with the Old Testament saints) was removed from the heart of the earth to the third heaven (II Corinthians 12:2-4).

On that same day (the day of His resurrection), AFTER He had ascended to the Father with His blood atonement, ". . . came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side . . ." (John 20:19-20). According to Luke's account, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: HANDLE ME, AND SEE; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39).

The ascension of Jesus with His blood took place on the day of His resurrection, between His appearance to Mary (before His ascension, John 20:17) and His return to earth the same day, appearing to the two on the road to Emmaus "toward evening" and later appearing to the disciples that evening (Luke 23:13-39).

It was eight days later that Thomas, who was not present when Jesus came on the day of His resurrection, was told by Jesus, ". . . Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing" (John 20:24-31). Jesus had already ascended unto His Father (on the day of resurrection) when, eight days later, He allowed Thomas to touch Him.

After His resurrection and ascension with His blood atonement, Jesus returned to earth, as mentioned above, and appeared to His apostles, "To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them FORTY DAYS, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God", after which "he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:1-11).

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