We have spent years showing people how amazingly logical and coherent the Bible is using the Bible Timeline poster. This new video is so much fun. It takes some of the ‘gee whiz’ facts that are in the Bible and shares them in a way that bring them to life.
Enjoy and share with friends online or Sunday School classes! More will be coming so be sure to like this video and subscribe to our Youtube channel.
We are often asked how we answer Bible History questions. We use a variety of concordances, histories, academic contacts and online tools. Here are three of our favorites. One of the most common questions we get is how often a word or phrase is in the Bible. The second most common has to do with people of the Bible – the life story if possible and more. Let’s just focus for a minute on that most common question. The words. Here’s what we do. We start with the free tools found at http://www.biblestudytools.com/. Here we can get a quick count of verses, what words were translated as that English word (e.g. 20 different Hebrew/Greek words were translated as love) and what those Hebrew/Greek words mean. How they differ. However it’s a fairly tedious process to track down which verse used which of the 20 words.
For that information, and more, we use our interactive “bible discovery” software where we can look up a word or verse and then click on the parallel Hebrew/Greek word and go immediately to the dictionary. Why? Here’s an example. When we were studying light we found that the root word for the Hebrew translated as darkness means “a twisting away.” Interesting. Darkness twists away from light. (evil from good?)
There are several of these on the market. We’ve used a couple. Here’s one interactive Bible with dictionaries we’ve been testing lately. https://www.olivetree.com/ By the way, we make no money from recommending this software.
To really deepen our understanding we’re learning Biblical Hebrew with all it’s history, subtleties, and implications. Costs some money, takes some time but it’s worth it. We’ve taken courses from this company and they were very good. Even better, they have an ongoing series of FREE webinars. Sign up for them to learn a lot.
Go here to get on the free webinar list and see what the webinars are about.
This is only a small part of the research we do when answering Bible history questions.
Picture References:
http://pixabay.com/en/ray-of-light-live-death-weird-526506/
http://pixabay.com/en/steelwool-dark-firespin-spiral-art-458840/
The Old Testament
Histories and the Law (Genesis through Esther)
Wisdom (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)
Prophecies (Isaiah to Malachi)
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
The New Testament
Histories (the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts of the Apostles)
Wisdom or Doctrine (the letters concerning doctrine starting with Paul followed by Jude, Peter, and John. These are organized by length, longest to shortest, rather than in order written)
Prophecies (Revelation of John)
A list of the books of the Bible including the author, when written and where, as well as the time frame covered, can be found on the page: Chronological Order of the Books of the Bible
That’s where teaching principles along with a Bible timeline adds power and excitement to your teaching. A Biblical timeline chart with World history is even more useful. You see His hand directing all of the world events and the Bible set against that background. Let’s start with first things first.
Here are the five tips. Study or teach
The Principles: Most of us know the stories included in the Bible are there to teach us principles. Unfortunately we often just grab a story when we need to teach or learn a principle and just go for it. But that leaves a lot of questions. When did Ruth live compared to Esther? Or how about Daniel and Solomon? Who was first? Some of us don’t know, even after years of Bible study classes. When we know the order of events in God’s overarching plan the principles gain greater meaning.
The Order: The order and the timing of people and events. Most people have no idea how much time passed between Adam and Noah or between Noah and Abraham. Using a timeline makes it visual. You can literally see the passage of time; long, short or in between. The long, slow building of a strong foundation for 2500 years from Adam to Moses, a short 500 years from Moses to Solomon as the Israelites are prepared and taught and then 1000 years of ripening before Christ at last comes. Now the 2000 years of the Christian doctrine being spread through out the world from that small center in Israel is seen in a much larger context of God’s overall plan and timing.
The overlap: What can we get from that? When we see mapped out in front of us that Enos, Adam’s grandson lived until Noah was in his 90’s and that Noah’s son Shem lived until after Abraham was born (and was still alive in Isaac’s youth) – that’s a wow moment. Do you suppose that Abraham and Isaac heard about the flood from people who actually lived through it? And about the garden from a person who knew a person who knew Adam? Talk about your six degrees of separation!
Other world events: Most of us have bits of history floating around in some kind of hazy mess; like looking at an out of focus picture. Some parts are less blurry but the picture as a whole doesn’t make sense. Using a Bible timeline with World history on it as well brings it all into sharp focus. We see the whole not just random bits.
When we discover that Daniel and Confucius lived at the same time, or that the Greek poet Homer and Solomon lived in the same century, we begin to connect all those bits of history into a solid map in our minds. These aren’t isolated events happening “somewhere in time.” History is a series of connected events all under God’s direction.
Why: We see God’s hand dealing with all of His children, the descendants of Noah, scattered across the globe to bring about the saving of the human family through Jesus Christ. That’s your why. We see His hand orchestrating major events to bring about prophetic promises of blessing or cursing. Especially now during the wrapping up years as the entire world is in contact and relationship with each other. Now we see His hand played out on a world stage, all of that history coming together into one grand finale. A Bible World History Timeline gives us that whole world view of God’s plan.
There are your five steps.
Now that’s powerful study and teaching.
Learn more about the Amazing Bible World History Timeline →
Does the bible talk about dead birds falling from the sky and fish dying in the sea as signs in the bible?
Brad
Answer:
In the original response found here we stated that the verses in Hosea and Zephaniah referring to the death of birds and fish was an ancient prophecy that had already been fulfilled during the days of the prophets Zephaniah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel found in the sixth century BC on the Biblical timeline. A reader argued otherwise stating that in each case God extends the prophecy to the last days or to all unrighteous people.
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
Reader Danny Harder (http://twitter.com/DeadBirdUpdate) comments:
(the scriptures below link to King James Bible with links to commentaries under them):
Ezekiel 14:12-21 says that when a nation gets to a certain level of sinfulness, God starts killing the animals (Jer 12:4)
If you look at Zephaniah, God expands the prophecy to include His judgment on the entire earth: Zeph 2:8-14, 3:8-10.
Hosea 4:3 could be taken as a principle that God kills off birds, fish, beasts as a warning when a nation sins (Ezekiel 14)
Does the bible talk about dead birds falling from the sky and fish dying in the sea as signs in the bible? Brad
Answer: Two prophets, Hosea and Zephaniah, in the Old Testament speak of birds and fish being swept away or consumed. The question is, are these prophets referring to end times or to prior times Israel was destroyed? Here are the verses referring to these calamities: Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel:
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because [there is] no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. Hosea 4:1-3 KJV I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD. Zephaniah 1:3 KJV We should never take verses out of the context of the whole chapter. Read the book.
These men were prophesying of specific kings and during the times of specific kings. Hosea speaks of Jeroboam while Zephaniah prophecies during the reign of the righteous King Josiah – so the people could not blame their unrighteousness on the king’s command. We can be assured that they were prophesying of times of destruction of ancient Israel, and their prophecies came to pass. In other words, these prophecies have been fulfilled. But the pestilences and famines foretold as signs of the times for the last days most likely involve animals as well as man. Here’s more on the signs of the times. Here is the opposite viewpoint: Yes these are signs of the times.
Where does the Apostlic faith go in your Biblical timeline. Have you ever heard of the Vapostori group of people in Zimbabwe? Is their religion based on the Old Testament? Is it similar to Judaism? Sincerely, mshioura
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
Summary: The religion was founded in the 1930’s by Johane Masowe after a religious experience that led him to believe he was another John the Baptist and led to preach in Africa. The religion is based on the New Testament; specifically on the scriptures on the Holy Spirit. It is not similar to Judaism.
Apostolic, Latin Apostolicus, plural Apostolici, a member of any of the various Christian sects that sought to reestablish the life and discipline of the primitive church by a literal observance of the precepts of continence and poverty. The earliest Apostolics (Also known as Apotactici, meaning “abstinents”) appeared in Anatolia about the 3rd century AD on the Bible Timeline Chart. They were extremely austere and renounced property and marriage. In the 12th century certain groups of heretical itinerant preachers called Apostolics were found in various centres of France, Flanders, and the Rhineland. (100 of 291 words) Encyclopedia Britannica.
A man named Shoniwa Masedza founded the Friday Masowe Church in the 1930s after having a transformational encounter with the Holy Spirit, which led to a name change. The newly christened Johane Masowe, or John of the Wilderness, became the self-proclaimed John the Baptist of Africa. This history has tremendous resonance for the particular Friday congregation … the Juranifiri Santa (meaning “place of healing”). http://www.practicalmattersjournal.org/issue/3/reviews/a-problem-of-presence accessed Jan 20, 2011 Johane Masowe was born in 1914 or 1915 in Gandanzara village in Makoni district of eastern Zimbabwe, the second of six sons and a daughter born to Jack and Efie Masedza, of the Manyika subgroup of the Shona people. His parents named him Shoniwa Masedza Tandi Moyo, but the change of name to Johane Masowe came about through the religious experience that launched him into an itinerant preaching ministry from 1932 until his death in 1973.
Police records from the white colonial regime of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) indicate that Johane Masowe first got the attention of the authorities when he was arrested in 1932 for traveling around preaching without proper documents. In the police interrogation, he explained that he began having severe pains in the head that culminated in a dream that he had died. After that, he heard voices saying that his name was now John, which he interpreted to mean John the Baptist.
This new name carried a mandate to preach to the African people. His commission came from spending forty days in prayer on Marimba Hill, near the town of Norton, during which time he did not sleep and survived only on wild honey. A voice from a burning bush told him, “I have blessed you. Carry on with the good work. Tell the natives to throw away their witchcraft medicines, not to commit adultery or rape.” After these experiences, his headaches ceased.
He told police, “I really do believe that I have been sent from heaven to carry out religious work among the natives. I think that I am ‘John the Baptist,’ as the voice told me so. No human being has guided me in my teachings” . Masowe’s commission, as described in his own words, resembled that of Moses, John the Baptist, and Jesus in spending time alone in the wilderness, hence the name Johane Masowe, meaning “John of the wilderness”. http://www.dacb.org/stories/zimbabwe/johane_masowe.html accessed January 20, 2011
According to a 28 October 1996 AP Worldstream report, the Johanne Masowe Apostolic Faith is an apostolic sect founded by the late Johanne Masowe. According to a 23 October Africa News report, it is based in Eastern Manicaland province. AP Worldstream reports that the faith has a shrine, the Johanne Masowe shrine, located about 120 miles east of Harare (ibid.). The faith has reportedly split into two factions, one led by Johanne Masowe’s widow, and the other by his son, Magaga Masedza (ibid.). Violent clashes between rival factions reportedly broke out at the shrine. This source further states that cars and a bus were damaged, four people injured, and 380 rival followers were arrested during the clashes (ibid.). According to the Africa News report, the sect is purist and is “notorious for its total rejection of any form of scientific medication,” which has resulted in the death of many of its adherents. (from the Canadian Immigration site) Beliefs of the Friday Masowe Apostolics From the book A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church by Matthew Engelke The Friday Masowe apostolics of Zimbabwe refer to themselves as “the Christians who don’t read the Bible.” They claim they do not need the Bible because they receive the Word of God “live and direct” from the Holy Spirit. In this insightful and sensitive historical ethnography, Matthew Engelke documents how this rejection of scripture speaks to longstanding concerns within Christianity over mediation and authority. The Bible, of course, has been a key medium through which Christians have recognized God’s presence. But the apostolics perceive scripture as an unnecessary, even dangerous, mediator. For them, the materiality of the Bible marks a distance from the divine and prohibits the realization of a live and direct faith. A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church by Matthew Engelke
From a member of this church comes this response to belief on a discussion board:
The thing that makes us (madzibaba nemadzimai) unique is the holy spirit. We have the power of the holy spirit in our blood which is a blessing that was shunned by the white people not knowing that the power we shall behold it our blood. http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=134425595340&topic=11425 accessed January 20, 2011
The voyages of Paul to his first captivity in Rome found in Acts 27 took place from 60-61 AD on the bible timeline. At one point on this trip, the sailors express fear of the Syrtis Sands (Acts 27:17.) You have to wonder why sailors in the ocean would be afraid of sand. Here is why. According to ancient historians and geographers such as Dio Chrysostom and Strabo, who lived at about the same time as Luke and Paul the sands are shallow gulfs off the coast of Africa. There is a greater and lesser gulf. We know these today as the Gulf of Sirte off the coast of Libya and the Gulf of Gabes off of Tunisia. Once caught in the gulf it is impossible for a large sailing vessel to pull back out or to land safely on the rocky shoals.
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
%20-%20Learn%20more%20at%3A%20http%3A%2F%2Famazingbibletimeline.com%2Fbible_questions%2Fsyrtis-sands%2F%23sthash.mkhdsWeS.dpuf)
The Gulf has fearsome cross currents and long sand bars extending miles out to sea. Once caught inside a ship is either destroyed on the rocks or marooned on a sandbar miles from shore. The ship taking Paul to Rome was one of the largest of its day as it carried a heavy load of grain. If the ship was caught in the quicksands of Syrtis death was inevitable. The sailors had good reason to fear.
A detailed timeline of Paul’s journey For detailed historical references to the Syrtis Sands and more visit Gordon Franz’s excellent blog
You think keeping track of time zones is bad? Imagine, if crossing a border meant you had a completely different calendar. You couldn’t even agree on the date! That was the case when no BC and AD timeline existed. Charlemagne came up with the solution to make life easier for everyone else and put a bit of power in his own pocket at the same time. Here’s the story as told in the book The Forge of Christendom by Tim Holland describing the events.
Prior to Charlemagne, dating systems had been pegged to a prominent date such as the beginning of a recent or contemporary monarch’s rule. Charlemagne began a new system of dating pegged to the birth of Christ and had himself crowned on Christmas Day to form a dramatic link between his reign and Christ. At the beginning of the ninth century A.D., with Rome long since crumbled and Constantine‘s capital still dominant in the East, Charlemagne had built a new Western empire extending across much of modern-day Europe to eclipse it.
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
With that achievement firmly in hand, he came to Rome and knelt during Christmas Mass at the shrine of St. Peter in the Vatican. Where Pope Leo suddenly and dramatically crowned him emperor: “So it was that Charlemagne came to rule as a second Constantine. … The whole coronation, Charlemagne would later declare, had come as a surprise to him, a bolt from the blue. Indeed, ‘he made it clear that he would not have entered the cathedral that day at all. Although it was the very greatest of the festivals of the Church, if he had known in advance what the Pope was planning to do.’ … “Yet still an aura of mystery lingered around the ceremony.
Had Charlemagne truly been as ignorant of Leo’s plans as he subsequently claimed to be, then it was all the more eerie a coincidence that he should have been in Rome and in St. Peter’s on the very morning that he was. Eight hundred years had passed to the day since the birth of the Son of Man: an anniversary of which Charlemagne and his advisers would have been perfectly aware. Over the preceding decades, the great program of correction had begun to embrace even the dimensions of time itself.
Traditionally, just as popes had employed the regnal year of the emperor in Constantinople on their documents. So other churchmen had derived dates from a bewildering array of starting points: the accession of their local ruler perhaps, or an ancient persecution, or most extravagantly the creation of the world. “Such confusion, however, to scholars sponsored by the Frankish king, was intolerable. A universal Christian order such as Charlemagne was laboring to raise required a universal chronology. How fortunate it was then that the perfect solution had lain conveniently ready at hand. The years preceding Charlemagne’s accession to the Frankish throne had witnessed a momentous intellectual revolution. Monks both in Francia itself and in the British Isles, looking to calibrate the mysterious complexities of time, had found themselves arriving at a framework that was as practical as it was profound.
From whose accession date, if not that of some earthly emperor or king, were years to be numbered?
The answer once given was obvious. Christ alone was the ruler of all mankind – and His reign had begun when He had first been born into the world. It was the Incarnation – that cosmos-shaking moment when the Divine had become flesh – that served as the pivot around which all of history turned.
Where were the Christians who could possibly argue with that?
Not at the Frankish court to be sure. Clerics in Charlemagne’s service had accordingly begun to measure dates from ‘the year of our Lord’ – ‘anno Domini.’ “Here was a sense of time Christian time that far transcended the local: perfectly suited to a monarchy that extended to the outermost limits of Christendom. Charlemagne crowned upon the exact turning point of a century could hardly have done more to identify himself with it.” (from http://www.delanceyplace.com/view_archives.php?1577 accessed on Dec 22, 2010) Read the full story including the meanings of the terms BC and AD in Timeline, who determined it and how we began using BC and AD here.
Esther became queen to the Persian King Ahasuerus traditionally identified with Xerxes I of Persia. Xerxes I of Persia reigned from 486 BC when he was 36 until he was assassinated in 465 BC. Xerxes figures prominently in the Greco-Persian Wars building the bridge across the Hellespont and taking part in the famous Battle of Thermopylae.
Esther is known for her beauty, but she was also a woman of great courage. She was willing to do God’s will even though she risked her life. She had a deep understanding of the power of fasting and prayer.
Unique Circular Format – see more in less space.
Learn facts that you can’t learn just from reading the Bible
Attractive design ideal for your home, office, church …
Esther’s story is written across a backdrop of great wars and epic battles. Phoenicia was subject to Persia at the time. Rome was ruled by consuls (and had not yet become the great Roman Empire), and the great Greek historian Herodotus was alive and writing at the time. See Esther on the Bible Timeline.Esther’s story is found in the book of Esther in the Old Testament.
