DID YOU KNOW: *More* Biblical Stats

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

What are some MORE interesting statistics about the Bible?

People seemed to enjoy the first list of interesting stats about the Bible, so here's a follow-up with even more statistics for your ledger.

• Number of books in the Bible: 66 
• Chapters: 1,189 
• Verses: 31,101 
• Words: 783,137 
• Letters: 3,566,480 
• Number of promises given in the Bible: 1,260 
• Commands: 6,468 
• Predictions: over 8,000 
• Fulfilled prophecy: 3,268 verses
• Number of times the word "God" appears: 3,358 
• Number of times the word "Lord" appears: 7,736 
• Number of languages the Bible has been translated into: over 1,200

HUMOR: Always be ready!

Not mine.  From here.

It was Palm Sunday but because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm fronds. Johnny asked them what they were for.
      "People held them over Jesus' head as he walked by," his father told him.
      "Wouldn't you know it," Johnny fumed, "the one Sunday I don't go and he shows up."

BIBLE NEWS: Respect for Bible in Decline

The Barna Group is known for taking surveys on religious issues, and one of their newest studies is on attitudes among Americans towards the Bible.  Most years, this is good new, but not so this year.  Respect for the Bible has been falling, especially among Millennials.

Bible skepticism is on the rise compared to previous years—this year the number of people who claim they don't believe in the Bible equals the number of people who claim to regularly read or study the Scriptures.

This should remind us how important it is to not only study scripture for ourselves, but teach it to those around us, as well.

WEEKLY COMIC: On the Inside

QUIZ CHALLENGE: Sermon on the Mount

This week's Quiz Challenge covers the Sermon on the Mount.  It comes from the King James Version, so be ready for a little archaic language here and there.  Also, this one asks for your name.  DO NOT give them your real name - a nickname is sufficient for their purposes.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Trumbull 2013 Quiz Meet

A collage of memories.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Lay Me Down

DID YOU KNOW: Where was Jesus before the New Testament?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

Where was Jesus before he was born in 1 B.C.?

The Bible is very clear about the identity of Jesus Christ:

1. He is the Son of God
2. He is God (part of the Trinity)
3. He was involved in the creation of the world

So, if Jesus is God and God is eternal (always existing), then where was Jesus before the New Testament begins?  This is a question that has sent Christians from the earliest times searching the Old Testament.

First, nowhere in the Old Testament is there a character known as "Jesus" who is obviously the same person.  ("Jesus" is the same name as Joshua, but the Joshua we know from Moses time is NOT the son of God.)  This is one reason why the Jews of his own time were perplexed when he appeared.  Many had come claiming to be the Messiah, so until there was proof he was just one more potential charlatan.

Second, there is evidence that the Trinity has been there from the beginning.  In Genesis, God refers to Himself as "we" and "us" repeatedly during creation.  (Of course, this is not proof, merely evidence.  The story of Creation is poetry, which allows some linguistic freedom, and there are cases of human kings referring to themselves as "we" and "us", as well.)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26

Third, there is a character int he Old Testament who shows up again and again, who is always doing God's work, and who appears to have great power.  He is called "the Angel of the Lord" and is always associated with an appearance of God Himself.

• Genesis 16:7–12:  The Angel of the Lord saves Hagar
• Genesis 21:17-18:  The Angel of the Lord saved Hagar and Ishmael
• Genesis 22:11-18:  The Angel of the Lord stays Abraham's hand from sacrificing Isaac
• Exodus 3:2:  The Angel of the Lord speaks to Moses from the burning bush
• Judges 13:3-22:  The Angel of the Lord promises Samson
• Zechariah 3:1:  The Angel of the Lord opposes Satan before God

...and there are many more appearances.  Did you notice a common theme in all of these cases?  The Angel of the Lord is a savior.  He speaks for God and he opposes Satan.  This is almost exactly the way Jesus presented himself in the New Testament.  

It is likely that this Angel of the Lord is in fact Jesus before his birth to Mary.

HUMOR: Brothers & Sisters

Not mine.  From here.

After explaining the commandment to honor your father and mother, a Sunday School teacher asked her class if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters.
      One boy, the oldest in his family, immediately answered, "Thou shalt not kill."

BIBLE NEWS: A "Famine" of Bible Knowledge?

Bible Quizzers - as a group - really know our Bible.  We not only know general facts about it, but we study the text intensely and talk about it every practice for historical and cultural context.  But what about everyone else?  Is there a crisis of Bible knowledge in America?  A professor from Biola University makes the case.

For well over twenty years now, Christian leaders have been lamenting the loss of general biblical literacy in America. … Some among us may be tempted to seek odd solace in the recognition that our culture is increasingly post-Christian. … Much to our embarrassment, however, it has become increasingly clear that the situation is really no better among confessing Christians, even those who claim to hold the Bible in high regard.

WEEKLY COMIC: Which Way Will You Go?

QUIZ CHALLENGE: Pastor's Quiz

This week's Quiz Challenge is a tough one covering both the Old and New Testament, and is intended for pastors (i.e. people who have been thru seminary).  How will do you?  I only got 67% on my first try {Blush}!

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Bible Quizzers at the Bridgeport Bluefish

This past Saturday, the Bridgeport Bluefish hosted a night for local churches.  We were there, and wanted to share a few photos from the event.  Click on the image below for the whole set.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Unstoppable Love

DID YOU KNOW: Some Biblical Stats

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

What are some interesting statistics about the Bible?

The Bible is a long book (or rather collection of books) and has been around for a long time, so scholars have had plenty of time to crunch the numbers.

• About 50 Bibles are sold every minute.
• There are 66 books in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
• The 66 books of the Bible is divided into 1,189 chapters consisting of 31,173 verses. 
• The Old Testament has 929 chapters, the New Testament 260.
• The longest line in the Bible is Esther 8:9 - 89 words, 425 letters. 
• The longest word in the Bible is Maher-shalal-hash-baz: Isaiah 8:1.
• The shortest verse in the NIV Bible is John 11:35: "Jesus wept."
• The longest book chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, the shortest is Psalm 117.
• There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after it. 
• Psalm 118 verse 8 is in the center of the Bible: "It is better to trust in the Lord than put confidence in man."
• Obadiah, with 21 verses consisting of 602 words, is the shortest book in the Old Testament, and the third shortest in the Bible.
• II John has the fewest number of verses of any book in the Bible - it is the shortest book in the Bible.
• III John has the fewest number of words of any book in the Bible.
• Job is the oldest book written in the Bible - it was written by an unknown Israelite around 1500 BC.

Happy Father's Day, Quiz Team Dads!

Thanks for all you do for your children and our team, at home and in church.  (Not all Quiz Team Dads pictured.)

HUMOR: Copy and Paste

Not mine.  From here.

A pastor I know has a standard liturgy for funerals. To personalize each service, he uses the Find and Replace command on his computer to replace the name of the deceased from the previous funeral with the new name.
      The next morning, the funeral was going smoothly until the Apostle's Creed. "Jesus Christ," the congregation read from the program, "born of the Virgin Edna..."

WEEKLY COMIC: Too cool for school?

QUIZ CHALLENGE: Women of the Bible

This week's Bible Challenge is all about the women of the Bible.  How well do you know the mothers, daughters, and sisters of the greatest book?

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Mrs. & Mrs. Bible Quizzer

This past Saturday, two former Bible Quizzers married in Trumbull.  Congratulations to Special J and Pinky on their blessed union!

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Hope Can Change Everything

HUMOR: Pain in the...

Not mine.  From here.

At Sunday School they were learning how God created everything, including human beings. Johnny was especially intent when the teacher told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs.
      Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, "Johnny, what is the matter?"
      Johnny responded, "I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."

DID YOU KNOW: What is "Pentecost"?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

What is "Pentecost"?

You may or may not have noticed, but today is the traditional observation of the church holiday of Pentecost.  Unlike Christmas or Easter or even Palm Sunday, it is not often noted in Protestant churches (except Pentecostal ones) but it is an important day both for Ancient Israel and for the Church.

Pentecost is literally Greek for "the Fiftieth Day" on the Hebrew calendar and is set aside in scripture as a day to remember the giving of the law and thank God for His gift of the first fruits of the harvest.  It's called "The Feast of Weeks" or Shavuot.  (Exodus 34:22)

But Pentecost is also the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, visible as tongues of fire.  They spoke in other languages they did not previously know, and from that time on did miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-31).

There are many church traditions for Pentecost (none of which are scriptural, but they mark how various churches have regarded the holiday in times past). Many churches decorate themselves with the color red, in honor of the Holy Spirit.  Some do special teaching or scripture reading in foreign languages, to commemorate the speaking in tongues.  And many place a symbol of a dove prominently to remind Congregations to think of the Holy Spirit.  The time between Ascension Sunday and Pentecost is often also marked with Fasting and Praying together, marking the time that the disciples waited patiently for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit.

BIBLE NEWS: A New Bible Translation

We Bible Quizzers are no strangers to different Bible translations, especially in light of our recent switch from the New International Version (NIV1984) to the English Standard Version (ESV).  So, it is interesting to see a new translation due to come out shortly based on the King James Version of the Bible, called the "Modern English Version" or MEV.

The KJV series works off of a different philosophy of translation than the NIV or ESV.  Instead of focussing entirely on the original Greek, the MEV and other related translations look at the traditions which have grown up around the Bible, as well, especially in the English language.  This can sometimes obscure the original meaning to a point, but also provides more poetic and smoother reading than literal translations.

And no, we have no plans to adopt this new version in Bible Quizzing or the EFCA in general.

WEEKLY COMIC: Too late is too late

QUIZ CHALLENGE: Bible "Millionaire"

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" isn't so big these days, but a few years back there was no game show more popular.  Why not try it out in an online Bible-based version to test how much you know about scripture?

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Revolutionary War-Era Church

A photo from Christ Church in Philadelphia, PA where many important Revolution War figures like George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Ben Franklin are known to have worshipped.  Old doesn't mean plain, when it comes to churches!

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: You Won't Let Go

DID YOU KNOW: Where did the word "Christian" come from?

"DID YOU KNOW?" will be a summer series where we review issues of the Bible and the Christian faith of special interest. If you have a suggestion/question that you'd like addressed in a "DID YOU KNOW?" segment, please e-mail the coaches.

Where did the word "Christian" come from?

Nowadays, Christ-followers all over the world are called "Christians".  It's so common that we don't even question the meaning of the word.  Our religion is "Christianity" and so we are called "Christians".

But it is not what early believers called themselves.  In Acts, we see the Apostles and earliest followers of Christ referring to their religion as "The Way" and themselves as "Followers of the Way."  In fact, the earliest uses of the term "Christian" are not by believers, but their opponents (Acts 11:26 & Acts 26:28).  And only in 1 Peter 4:16 - written between 60 and 100 A.D. when he was an old man - does a writer of scripture use the term in a positive light.

"Christian" literally means "little Christ".  It was intended as an insult.  But early believers, after initially disliking the term, decided to embrace it as their own.  After all, in the end, what we all want is to be "little Christs" - people striving to be like Jesus in our world, to show humanity the love of God.

HUMOR: What makes for a good sermon?

Not mine.  From here.

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.  - George Burns