Can You Answer These Basic Bible Questions in 7 Minutes?

RELIGION

By: Dustyn Deerman

7 Min Quiz

Image: Wiki Commons by Palazzo Madama

About This Quiz

There's no questioning the amount of influence the Bible has had on the world since it was written. Whether you take the word from the good book as literal or not, you can't deny the significance of many of the stories on our culture and on how we treat or approach one another. Even more, it's not just those who subscribe to Christianity that are influenced by the stories that pack the pages of the Bible; Judaism and Islam also carry stories in their own religious books based on the stories Christians know and adore.

Regardless of where you stand on your faith or religiousness, you surely have, at the very least, a basic awareness of what some of the stories and parables are. You may also know who some of the most significant people are in these stories, and what some of the teachings of Jesus Christ were. The Old and New Testaments do have their complexities, but you should be able to get through this quiz and even learn something new about the good book you maybe didn't know before! Who knows, perhaps you'll walk away from this with a new perspective on things. 

So, let's see just how much you really know about the Bible. Blessed are the people who do well on this quiz!

Genesis begins with the story of creation. Which is the correct order of creation according to Genesis?

The story of creation describes six days in which God created the heavens and the earth. The first day is dedicated to light, then the sky, then the earth and plants, followed by birds and fish and finally animals and man. The seventh day is when God finally rests.

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What presents did the three wise men bring to Jesus when he was born?

When the three wise men heard of Jesus' birth, they traveled a great distance following "The Star of Bethlehem." They brought with them gold, frankincense and myrrh; the last two would be used for perfume, incense and medicine during this time.

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In the story of Exodus, how many plagues were inflicted upon Egypt to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites?

The 10 plagues were: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence of livestock, boils, a thunderstorm of hail and fire, locusts, darkness for three days, and the killing of firstborn children. Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites after each one until he lost his own son in the final plague.

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King Solomon's reign over Israel would be described as an era of what?

King Solomon is regarded as one of the better kings Israel saw; many appreciated his kindness and wisdom in how he ruled. Unlike his father, King David, he built alliances with other nations and created solid trade routes with them, which yielded high revenue for the merchants who would pass through them.

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God created Adam and then Eve to be his wife. How did God create her?

In Genesis, God creates Adam with dust and places him in the Garden of Eden. Then, as Adam is sleeping, God takes one of his ribs and creates Eve with it and puts her next to him to be his wife and helper in the garden.

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Who wrote The Acts of the Apostles?

Luke wrote The Acts of the Apostles as a sequel of sorts to The Gospel of Luke. It is speculated that a co-author helped Luke with both books, but that is still not certain.

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Which Jewish prophet preached about God's Final Judgement and helped others prepare for it by repenting for their sins?

John the Baptist got his name from his followers, who would go through the baptism ceremony with him to cleanse themselves of sin and prepare for the coming of God. Jesus even submitted himself to John for baptism, which was one of the first acts he did in his public life of service to God.

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Why does Jesus compare the Kingdom of God to a pearl in the "Parable of the Pearl"?

The Parable of the Pearl is meant to illustrate the great value of the Kingdom of God and Heaven. The parable reads as follows: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

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How many pairs of "clean" animals did God tell Noah to bring on his ark when the earth was flooded?

Not to be confused with the command from God that Noah should bring onboard a pair of every species of animal on the earth, "clean" animals refer to those that Noah and his family could survive on for the duration of the flood. Seven pairs were needed so that both the humans could survive, and those species would not go extinct.

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Why do some Christians believe that the book of Esther should not be in the Bible?

Some Christians believe that because God's name is never mentioned in the book of Esther, it is actually a secular book and has no place in the Bible. Still, God's presence is woven throughout the story, so many on the other side of this argument believe it is still a strong testament to the power and love of God.

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Which book of the four Gospels was written first?

Mark, Matthew, Luke and John authored the four gospels ("good news") of Jesus. Nearly everything about the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus is documented in these four books. It is believed that the Gospel of Mark was written about 70 A.D.

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"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord _______, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." What words are missing?

This scripture comes from Numbers 6:24-26. The idea is that the face of God is not necessarily imposing God's will upon those who see or receive it, but that he is demonstrating his active love for the receiver.

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The Old Testament has the sacred writings of which group of people?

The Jews are also referred to as Hebrews or Israelites, and their story is shared in the Old Testament. Both the Jewish Bible and the Christian Bible contain the same material; however, they are arranged differently. In general, the Old Testament is about God's dealing with the Jews being his chosen people.

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Who was Jonah?

Jonah was called by God to preach to the city of Nineveh, but instead, he tried to escape on a ship. God punished him with a terrible storm, sending Jonah into the sea. He was then swallowed by a giant fish, in which he spent three days before he was spit out back on dry land. Jonah then went to Nineveh and preached the word of God.

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Before he became the King of Israel, what major feat did David overcome?

A young King David fought Goliath of Garth, a gigantic Philistine warrior, in order to preserve Israel. King Saul, who was the ruler at the time, was too afraid to fight the giant. So, when David defeated Goliath, this only proved the unfitness of King Saul as ruler of Israel.

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Why was Lucifer cast out of Heaven?

Lucifer fell from grace because of his unwavering desire to be [a] God, instead of a servant to God. Before he was cast out, Lucifer was the highest of all of the angels, but was still too prideful and believed he deserved more. God then cast him out as a fallen angel.

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How many people did Jesus feed with only five loaves of bread and two fish?

The "Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish," otherwise known as "The Feeding of the 5,000," is one of the more well-known miracles Jesus performed. The story can be found in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus feeds the crowds with very little near the Sea of Galilee.

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How many days does Paul suffer from blindness after his conversion to Christianity?

Paul was one of Jesus' disciples, but it was a long journey for him to get there. Before his conversion, he was one of the fiercest prosecutors of those who believed in God. Once the bright light of heaven was revealed to him, he became blind and had to be lead into the city of Damascus, where he completed his conversion.

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In the story of the sheep and the goats, the righteous and wicked are separated in the final judgment. What group do the sheep represent?

This story gives a vision of the final judgment in discussing that the righteous, or good, will be separated from the wicked and the given eternal life. This is done "as a shepherd separated the sheep from the goats;" the wicked are sent away to be punished for eternity. The idea here is that we should always focus on good deeds and helping others.

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Which of these is NOT one of the Ten Commandments?

The Ten Commandments are a set of principles that appear in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Different scholars followed different traditions throughout history regarding numbering and interpreting them.

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Which of Jesus' 12 disciples betrayed him, leading to his crucifixion?

Judas betrayed Jesus to arresting soldiers of the High Priest Caiaphas, who then turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate's soldiers. Judas did this for 30 pieces of silver and tried to give it back after he realized that Jesus was going to be crucified.

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In the parable "The Rich Fool," a wealthy farmer who has everything he'll ever need is told by God he is going to die. What is the lesson?

In the parable, God says to the wealthy farmer, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" The take away here is that the farmer only provided himself with earthly treasures and forgot about his spirituality.

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"I am _______, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." What words are missing?

This scripture comes from Revelation 1:8 and states that because God existed before time and will exist after time, there is no room for any other God but him.

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The book of Lamentations compares Jerusalem, once a great city, to what after its fall?

The book of Lamentations describes Jerusalem as, "How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She, who was queen among the provinces, has now become a slave." After the city fell to Nebuchadnezzar, famine, pestilence, and other terrors set into the city.

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King Darius signed a decree forbidding any man from praying to anyone but him. How many days was this for?

The story of Daniel tells how he reaches high office through royal Darius the Mede. When jealous rivals of Daniel trick Darius into issuing his decree, it also condemns Daniel to death. He is thrown into a pit of lions, but instead of being torn apart, God protects him by keeping the lions' mouths shut.

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After Jesus was arrested, who denied knowing him three times?

After Jesus' arrest, all of his disciples deserted him, even Peter, who swore he would never leave his side. On three different occasions, Peter has the opportunity to stand up for Jesus or, at the very least, say he is a follower of his, but he denies it.

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It is still debated how many authors wrote the entire book of Psalms. How many do we know of for sure?

David is one of the most prominent authors of the book of Psalms, but there are at least six others, including Asaph, the sons of Korah, Heman, Solomon, Moses, Ethan the Ezrahite. There are a total of 75 Psalms, and even with all of these authors who have been named, there are still 48 that remain unclaimed.

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How many books are in the New Testament?

There are 73 total books in the Christian Bible, with the New Testament making up 27 of them. They are broken up into the four Canonical Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, 21 Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.

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How many days passed after Jesus' crucifixion before he rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven?

After he died on the cross, Jesus was taken to a tomb in which he was buried. Three days and three nights passed when Mary Magdalene went to visit his body but discovered he was gone. He had risen!

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Why is Abraham one of the most significant people in the Bible?

Jewish people can trace their lineage back to Issac, who is the son of Abraham and Sarah, while Arabs can trace their lineage to Ishmael, who is the son of Abraham and Hagar. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant, which is the belief that Jews are the Chosen People.

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In his life, Jesus performed many miracles, but what was his first?

This miracle is mentioned in John 2:1-11, in which Jesus is at a wedding in Cana. While celebrating the married couple, Jesus' mother, Mary, informs him that they have run out of wine. Without being asked, Jesus turns water into wine, demonstrating the presence of God.

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What happened on the day of the Pentecost?

Jesus had promised his disciples that he would return to them after he ascended to heaven, and he did on the day of Pentecost (50 days after Passover). By doing this, he encouraged his disciples, and they went on to spread Jesus' message to the world.

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"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not _______, it does not boast, it is not proud." What word completes the sentence?

You've maybe heard this very well known scripture from 1st Corinthians 13:4 at a wedding. This entire chapter of Corinthians covers the topic of love, what it is, and, ultimately, the greatness of it.

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In the book of Revelation, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are unveiled. What do they represent?

In the book of Revelation (6:1–8), four horsemen appear and they represent various things according to different interpretations. The most common of them interprets the white horse as a symbol for Christ, the red one as a symbol for war and bloodshed, and the black one as a sign of famine. The court horseman rides a pale horse, which many believe represents pestilence and death.

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Which of God's commandments did Jesus say was the most important?

In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus is asked which commandment his followers must always abide by, and he responds, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

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