The serpent in Eden was not a supernatural being (often called the devil, or Satan), it was an animal. Genesis 3:1 says the following about the serpent: …the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made…. Here the serpent is identified as simply one of the […]
How do we know that things in Revelation (e.g., the dragon in Rev. 12:3) are not literal?
We know that Revelation uses symbols because it is a prophecy (Rev. 1:3) following on from Daniel’s prophecies in Dan. 2, 7 and 8. In Dan. 2, 7 and 8 prophecies are given that use symbols — Dan. 2: a statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay (which is crushed by a rock); Dan. […]
Who is Satan in Job 1?
Despite popular belief, there is a scholarly consensus that ‘satan’ in the book of Job is not a personal name, and does not refer to the supernatural evil being known as ‘Satan’ or ‘the devil’. ‘The appearance of “Satan” in virtually all English translations of the book of Job befuddles me since it is very […]
What does the name of each book of the Bible mean?
Before we look at the answer to this question, it’s worth remembering that the names of the books of the Bible aren’t necessarily inspired, although they are convenient (like the addition of chapter and verse numbers1). A lot of the books of the Bible are named after the person who wrote them, the recipients of […]
Did all nations and languages result from God confusing the languages at Babel and scattering the people from there (Gen. 11:1-9)?
(This answer was originally posted here.) The record of the tower of Babel is one of the most well known but most misunderstood passages of the Bible. People remember in general terms the great tower, man’s challenge to God, and the confusion of language, but they usually remember the specific details imperfectly. It’s a short […]
Why was the harmony described during the construction of the Tower of Babel destroyed by God via confusion of language?
Although no people are named specifically in account of the building of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, we can deduce from Genesis 10 that Nimrod was the king of the city of Babel (he is described as having a kingdom). He is therefore quite probably the main influence in building the tower. Can […]
Which man is mentioned most often in the Bible? Jesus, Moses, Abraham or David?
Jesus or Jesus Christ is mentioned approximately 968 times. Christ (without Jesus) is mentioned an additional 286 times (approx). Making a total of approximately 1254 times Moses is mentioned 852 times. Abraham is mentioned 250 times and Abram 62 times making a total of 312 times. David is mentioned 1141 times. So Jesus/Jesus Christ/Christ occurs […]
What is the ‘sacred secret’ of the Christ?
Colossians 4:3-4: At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— (4) that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. So Paul was in prison because […]
Did God make a covenant with any nation other than Israel?
Israel were a special, chosen nation that God brought up out of slavery in the land of Egypt and then gave them the land of Israel to live in (Exodus 19:3 – 6). He made a covenant with them, an agreement which meant that they would get the land that he had promised them, but […]
Who is the prince and king of Persia referred to in Daniel 10:13?
The prince of the kingdom of Persia is most likely Cyrus the great, who started ruling in 559BC. The “kings of Persia” is probably referring to Cyrus and his father Cambyses, who died in 551BC, co-ruling with Cyrus for about 8 years. It is not uncommon in Scripture for kings to be referred to as […]