Easy To Understand Answers To Questions About God, Life, And The Bible
We are first introduced to Apollos in (Acts 18:24-26). He is described as a Jew who was an eloquent speaker and someone who knew the Scriptures well. Being someone who was taught the way of the Lord, he taught others with an enthusiastic spirit. His teachings were accurate about Jesus, although he only knew about … Read more
Thomas was one of the original disciples of Jesus Christ. He is also referred to as Didymus, or the Twin, in the Bible (John 11:16, 20:24, 21:2). This Apostle unfortunately has earned the nickname “Doubting Thomas” over the years due to his not wanting to believe that Jesus had risen. Possibly A Fisherman Although not … Read more
Demas, possibly short for Demetrios or Demetrius, was at one time a fellow worker alongside the apostle Paul in ministering the Gospel. In the following Scriptures Paul mentions him right alongside other fellow Christians, including Mark and Luke the Physician. (Philemon 1:23-24) Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do … Read more
Zechariah in the New Testament was a priest, and the father of John the Baptist. He and his wife Elizabeth were both righteous people who obeyed all of God’s commandments (Luke 1:6). They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were very old (Luke 1:7). He is perhaps most famous for … Read more
The Gospels of Mathew (Mathew 19:16-30), Mark (Mark 10:17-31), and Luke (Luke 18:18-30) all tell the story of an individual known as “The Rich Young Man.” He is also referred to as “The Rich Young Ruler.” The Rich Young Ruler Luke is the only one that refers to him as being a ruler (Luke 18:18). … Read more
Lot’s wife makes only a brief, but unforgettable appearance in the Bible in Genesis 19. Unfortunately, it is her disobedience in this brief appearance that she will always be remembered for. The Angel’s Warning Before God destroyed the wicked city of Sodom, he sent angels into the city with a warning for Lot, Abraham’s nephew, … Read more
Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) was one of the two men nominated to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle after Judas betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide. The other man was Matthias. The One Not Chosen According to the Bible, whoever the replacement was for this position had to be chosen from among … Read more
He is often referred to as Philip the Evangelist to distinguish him from Philip the Apostle. They were two different people, but both were servants of God. Philip the Deacon Before he was Philip the Evangelist, he was Philip the Deacon. Philip was one of seven men who were chosen in (Acts 6) to help … Read more
The Nicolaitans are only mentioned twice in the Bible, with both times being in the Book of Revelation. Little is known about this group other than their practices were not looked upon favorably by God. Ephesus And The Nicolaitans Speaking to the Church in Ephesus, God makes them aware of some things he holds against … Read more
Simon the Sorcerer appears in only one chapter of the New Testament (Acts 8:9-24). Also known as Simon Magus or Simon the magician, he is described as a sorcerer who had been in the city of Samaria for many years. Because of his magic, the people often referred to him as, “the Great One – … Read more
The Bible does not mention Flavius Josephus, but as a historian he is responsible for providing much of the extrabiblical information that gives us insight into the lives of early Christians and Jewish life from the New Testament period. When looking for sources outside of the Bible that provide information about Jewish – Christian history, … Read more
The Zealots were a very aggressive 1st century political movement. They were a Jewish sect whose goal was to overthrow the Roman government. According to historian Josephus, at this time in history there were three Jewish sects, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. He states the Zealots were a fourth sect who were founded … Read more
Simon the Zealot was one of the twelve apostles. His name is found four times in the New Testament (Mathew 10:4; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Other than having his name listed alongside the rest of the disciples, nothing else is written about him in the scriptures. Was Simon A Zealot? The Zealots were … Read more
The Essenes were a Jewish sect whose beginnings date back to at least the 2nd century BC. Unlike other more well known groups such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Essenes are not directly mentioned in the Bible. What we do know about them comes from sources outside of the Bible, such as Jewish historian … Read more
The Sadducees in the Bible were a Jewish group whose responsibilities included maintaining the Temple in Jerusalem. They were opposed to Jesus, his believers, as well as the group they are often compared to, the Pharisees. Their beginnings date back to the second century BC. While some observances of the written law played a role … Read more
Who was Lazarus of Bethany in the Bible? His fascinating story is told in the book of John 11:1-45. A Brother And A Friend Gets Sick Lazarus of Bethany was the brother of Mary and Martha, as well as a friend of Jesus. He lived with his sisters in Bethany. When Lazarus became sick, Mary … Read more
According to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Joseph of Arimathea was the man who took down the body of Jesus from the cross after he was crucified and then buried him in a tomb. A close examination of each Gospel below reveals that Joseph was a rich man from the town of Arimathea … Read more
The Greek name Eutychus means one of good fortune. His name has an interesting meaning considering what happened to him. He will forever be remembered for being the young man in the Bible who fell asleep in church. While all of us church going regulars can probably recall watching someone trying to stay awake in … Read more
Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses. He also went by the name Reuel, which means “Friend of God” (Exodus 2:18). The first mention of him in the Bible is in (Exodus 2:16), where he is referred to as a priest of Midian that had seven daughters. How Moses And Jethro Met Moses fled to the … Read more
There are six women in the New Testament named Mary. Mary the Mother of Jesus The most well-known Mary in the Bible is the mother of Jesus. She is the most mentioned woman in the New Testament. As a virgin she gave birth to Jesus (Mathew 1:25), raised him along with her husband Joseph, and … Read more
The story of Ananias and Sapphira has often been described as being one of the most frightening, tragic, sad, and thought-provoking stories in the Bible. At the end of (Acts 4) the believers of the early church in Jerusalem were said to all be united in heart and mind. With the feeling among the believers … Read more
Erastus was a fellow Christian worker who assisted the apostle Paul. According to (Romans 16:23) he was the city director of public works for the city of Corinth. Other translations refer to his position as being the city treasurer. It is believed that he could have been one of the seventy disciples talked about in … Read more
There are two men in the Bible named Mephibosheth. The lesser known of the two was one of King Saul’s sons. He, along with six others were handed over to the Gibeonites by King David. They were to be executed to make amends for what Saul had previously done to the Gibeonites when he was … Read more
Matthias, whose name means “gift of Yahweh”, was the man chosen to replace Judas Iscariot after Judas betrayed Jesus and then hung himself. We learn all that can be known about Matthias, at least as far as what the Bible has to say about him, from (Acts 1) in the New Testament. In (Acts 1:15) … Read more
Zacchaeus is only mentioned in the Bible in (Luke 19:1-10). The man whose name means “pure” was a wealthy tax collector in the city of Jericho. As a tax collector in that day and time, he was most assuredly a despised man. Tax collectors were seen as traitors because they worked for Rome, and they … Read more