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

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.

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.

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.

DID YOU KNOW: What are the names of God?

"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 names does God have in the Bible?

Names are very important things in scripture.  God gave new names to many of His chosen people, to signify the change in their status or identity. Abram ("high father") became Abraham ("father of many nations").  Jacob ("deceiver") becomes Israel ("wrestles with God").  A name isn't just an equivalent for "that guy", but rather defines who we are.

So what names does scripture give for God?  You may be surprised just how many names He has!

• Advocate - 1 John 2:1 

• Almighty - Revelation 1:8 

• Alpha - Revelation 1:8 

• Amen - Revelation 3:14 

• Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7 

• Anointed One - Psalm 2:2 

• Apostle - Hebrews 3:1 

• Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2 

• Beginning - Revelation 21:6 

• Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25 

• Branch - Zechariah 3:8 

• Bread of Life - John 6:35,48 

• Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15 

• Carpenter - Mark 6:3 

• Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4 

• The Christ - Matthew 1:16 

• Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18 

• Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25 

• Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20 

• Dayspring - Luke 1:78 

• Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19 

• Deliverer - Romans 11:26 

• Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7 

• Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23 

• End - Revelation 21:6 

• Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6 

• Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14 

• First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23 

• Foundation - Isaiah 28:16 

• Fountain - Zechariah 13:1 

• Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19 

• Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7 

• Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15 

• God - John 1:1 

• Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1 

• Good Shepherd - John 10:11 

• Governor - Matthew 2:6 

• Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20 

• Guide - Psalm 48:14

And many more.  Click thru the link for the full list!

DID YOU KNOW: Who were the human authors of the Bible?

"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.

Who wrote the Bible, in a human sense?

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books written by a number of men (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) across the centuries. Did you know just how many people were involved with producing the scriptures you hold today?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

From GotQuestions.Org.

DID YOU KNOW: How long did it take to write the Bible?

"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.

How long did it take to write the whole Bible?

It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ)

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

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.

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.

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.

DID YOU KNOW: What are the names of God?

"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 names does God have in the Bible?

Names are very important things in scripture.  God gave new names to many of His chosen people, to signify the change in their status or identity. Abram ("high father") became Abraham ("father of many nations").  Jacob ("deceiver") becomes Israel ("wrestles with God").  A name isn't just an equivalent for "that guy", but rather defines who we are.

So what names does scripture give for God?  You may be surprised just how many names He has!

• Advocate - 1 John 2:1 

• Almighty - Revelation 1:8 

• Alpha - Revelation 1:8 

• Amen - Revelation 3:14 

• Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7 

• Anointed One - Psalm 2:2 

• Apostle - Hebrews 3:1 

• Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2 

• Beginning - Revelation 21:6 

• Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25 

• Branch - Zechariah 3:8 

• Bread of Life - John 6:35,48 

• Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15 

• Carpenter - Mark 6:3 

• Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4 

• The Christ - Matthew 1:16 

• Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18 

• Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25 

• Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20 

• Dayspring - Luke 1:78 

• Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19 

• Deliverer - Romans 11:26 

• Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7 

• Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23 

• End - Revelation 21:6 

• Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6 

• Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14 

• First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23 

• Foundation - Isaiah 28:16 

• Fountain - Zechariah 13:1 

• Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19 

• Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7 

• Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15 

• God - John 1:1 

• Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1 

• Good Shepherd - John 10:11 

• Governor - Matthew 2:6 

• Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20 

• Guide - Psalm 48:14

And many more.  Click thru the link for the full list!

DID YOU KNOW: Who were the human authors of the Bible?

"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.

Who wrote the Bible, in a human sense?

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books written by a number of men (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) across the centuries. Did you know just how many people were involved with producing the scriptures you hold today?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

From GotQuestions.Org.

DID YOU KNOW: How long did it take to write the Bible?

"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.

How long did it take to write the whole Bible?

It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ)

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

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.

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.

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.

DID YOU KNOW: What are the names of God?

"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 names does God have in the Bible?

Names are very important things in scripture.  God gave new names to many of His chosen people, to signify the change in their status or identity. Abram ("high father") became Abraham ("father of many nations").  Jacob ("deceiver") becomes Israel ("wrestles with God").  A name isn't just an equivalent for "that guy", but rather defines who we are.

So what names does scripture give for God?  You may be surprised just how many names He has!

• Advocate - 1 John 2:1 

• Almighty - Revelation 1:8 

• Alpha - Revelation 1:8 

• Amen - Revelation 3:14 

• Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:7 

• Anointed One - Psalm 2:2 

• Apostle - Hebrews 3:1 

• Author and Perfecter of our Faith - Hebrews 12:2 

• Beginning - Revelation 21:6 

• Bishop of Souls - 1 Peter 2:25 

• Branch - Zechariah 3:8 

• Bread of Life - John 6:35,48 

• Bridegroom - Matthew 9:15 

• Carpenter - Mark 6:3 

• Chief Shepherd - 1 Peter 5:4 

• The Christ - Matthew 1:16 

• Comforter - Jeremiah 8:18 

• Consolation of Israel - Luke 2:25 

• Cornerstone - Ephesians 2:20 

• Dayspring - Luke 1:78 

• Day Star - 2 Peter 1:19 

• Deliverer - Romans 11:26 

• Desire of Nations - Haggai 2:7 

• Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23 

• End - Revelation 21:6 

• Everlasting Father - Isaiah 9:6 

• Faithful and True Witness - Revelation 3:14 

• First Fruits - 1 Corinthians 15:23 

• Foundation - Isaiah 28:16 

• Fountain - Zechariah 13:1 

• Friend of Sinners - Matthew 11:19 

• Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7 

• Gift of God - 2 Corinthians 9:15 

• God - John 1:1 

• Glory of God - Isaiah 60:1 

• Good Shepherd - John 10:11 

• Governor - Matthew 2:6 

• Great Shepherd - Hebrews 13:20 

• Guide - Psalm 48:14

And many more.  Click thru the link for the full list!

DID YOU KNOW: Who were the human authors of the Bible?

"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.

Who wrote the Bible, in a human sense?

The Bible is not one book, but a collection of books written by a number of men (as inspired by the Holy Spirit) across the centuries. Did you know just how many people were involved with producing the scriptures you hold today?

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Joshua = Joshua - 1350 B.C.
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel = Samuel/Nathan/Gad - 1000 - 900 B.C.
1 Kings, 2 Kings = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah = Ezra - 450 B.C.
Esther = Mordecai - 400 B.C.
Job = Moses - 1400 B.C.
Psalms = several different authors, mostly David - 1000 - 400 B.C.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon = Solomon - 900 B.C.
Isaiah = Isaiah - 700 B.C.
Jeremiah, Lamentations = Jeremiah - 600 B.C.
Ezekiel = Ezekiel - 550 B.C.
Daniel = Daniel - 550 B.C.
Hosea = Hosea - 750 B.C.
Joel = Joel - 850 B.C.
Amos = Amos - 750 B.C.
Obadiah = Obadiah - 600 B.C.
Jonah = Jonah - 700 B.C.
Micah = Micah - 700 B.C.
Nahum = Nahum - 650 B.C.
Habakkuk = Habakkuk - 600 B.C.
Zephaniah = Zephaniah - 650 B.C.
Haggai = Haggai - 520 B.C.
Zechariah = Zechariah - 500 B.C.
Malachi = Malachi - 430 B.C.
Matthew = Matthew - A.D. 55
Mark = John Mark - A.D. 50
Luke = Luke - A.D. 60
John = John - A.D. 90
Acts = Luke - A.D. 65
Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon = Paul - A.D. 50-70
Hebrews = unknown, mostly likely Paul, Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos - A.D. 65
James = James - A.D. 45
1 Peter, 2 Peter = Peter - A.D. 60
1 John, 2 John, 3 John = John - A.D. 90
Jude = Jude - A.D. 60
Revelation = John - A.D. 90

From GotQuestions.Org.