Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. (Proverbs 25:13) Harvest time is during summer and can be hot in Israel. In Bible times, there were no refrigerators so it would have been difficult to get a […]
What is the devil’s Bible?
The devil’s Bible is a name given to a 13th century manuscript also known as Codex Gigas (or Giant Book). The name “Devil’s Bible” came about because of a large illustration of the devil it contains (shown below). (Of course, there is nothing in the Bible that supports this image of the devil, or even […]
Does the Bible contain scientific information unknown at the time?
Some attempts to find scientific knowledge in the Bible are misplaced. For example, in Isaiah 40:22 the ‘circle of the earth’ does not describe the earth as a sphere; the Hebrew word for ‘circle’ is used, not the Hebrew for ‘sphere’ or ‘ball’. However, the Bible does contain information which has historically been of considerable […]
If angels have no free will, they are robots; if they have free will, why wouldn’t they be able to sin?
All our temptations come from the natural instinct of independent biological organisms to self-optimize; that is, to improve their standard of living, to reproduce, and to take steps to survive (Genesis 3:6, Romans 7:23, James 1:14). Angels are not biological organisms (in the sense that they are not made of fallible biological material like we […]
What is the significance and history of the Star of David emblem?
The star of David is not mentioned in the Bible. It seems that it began to be used as a symbol of Israel sometime during the middle ages. It was suggested as early as the 12th century that the star signifies the number seven (six points plus the centre). See the Wikipedia article Star of […]
Did Jesus participate in sacrifices at the Temple?
When Jesus was a baby, sacrifices were offered as part of his consecration (see Luke 2:22-24). We also know that Jesus went to Jerusalem at Passover time (see How many times did Jesus attend the Passover celebration?). Part of the Passover festival involved sacrifice at the temple (Deuteronomy 16:5-7). Then he went to the Feast […]
Was there a physical dove at Jesus’ baptism?
All the gospels say that the Spirit of God descended “like a dove”. For example, As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. (Matthew 3:16) and the Holy Spirit […]
How is it that fishing and hunting is not a sin, when it really hurts the animals?
God has given us animals as a source of food. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every […]
What was the name of the mountain from which Moses looked out onto the promised land?
Deuteronomy 34:1-6 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, […]
How many times did Jesus attend the Passover celebration?
According to Luke 2:41, Joseph and Mary went to the Passover celebration in Jerusalem every year: Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy […]