Potpourri
What attribute of God means that He will always keep his promises?
Faithfulness
What bad news did Nehemiah hear about the Jews who were in Jerusalem?
They were in trouble and shame. The walls were broken down and the gates were destroyed.
According to 2 Peter 2:1, what kind of teachers should we watch out for, even in the church?
False teachers
How were the priests polluting God’s altar and despising his name?
They were sacrificing imperfect animals (blind, sick, lame).
How did God use the Romans to prepare for the spread of the gospel?
The Romans improved travel (roads, ports, ships) allowing early Christians to reach many people with the gospel.
To which group does the book of Malachi belong: history, poetry, minor prophets, or wisdom?
Minor prophets
What was Nehemiah’s job and what request did the king of Persia grant him?
Cupbearer to the king. To return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
Who taught Timothy the Old Testament Scriptures from an early age?
Lois and Eunice, his mother and grandmother
In Psalm 51, what kind of sacrifices did God say he desires?
Broken and contrite heart. A heart that is sorry for sin.
In Daniel's vision, the goat had a great horn which was later broken and then four horns after it. What did this represent?
Alexander the Great's Greek empire which was split into four after his death.
How did the king punish Haman?
He was hanged on the gallows he built to kill Mordecai.
Name one of the three men who opposed the building of the walls.
Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem
Who were keeping many of the Jews in Jerusalem in debt and poverty?
Wealthy Jewish nobles and officials
What was Malachi’s message of hope to the Jews?
The Messiah would come to save them.
What Jewish festival is celebrated today in remembrance of the Maccabees’ restoration and rededication of the temple?
Hanukkah
Name the Jewish leaders of the three returns from the Babylonian Captivity.
Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah
How did Nehemiah divide up the work on the walls?
He assigned sections of the walls to different groups by families.
Why did Nehemiah gather all the people with Ezra and the Levites?
So they could hear the law of God read, be taught, and understand it.
Malachi prophesied of one messenger preparing the way and another messenger of the covenant. To whom did this refer?
Near fulfillment: John the Baptist & Jesus the Savior (1st coming)
Far fulfillment: Elijah & Jesus the Messiah (2nd coming)
Why is it important that Greek became the common language during the 400 years before Jesus’ coming?
It was easier for the gospel to spread because most people spoke one language.
What two Jewish sects (groups) formed on opposing sides of the Greek influence over their people?
Pharisees and Sadducees
Thanks to God’s protection and Nehemiah’s plan, how long did it take the people to complete the wall?
52 days
After the people prayed and praised God and confessed their sin, what did the leaders of the people do?
They signed a covenant to walk in God’s law and observe his commands.
How do we know that John the Baptist was the one who fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy?
Luke 1:17 [the angel speaking of John] "...he shall go before him [Messiah] in the spirit and power of Elijah..."
Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes sought to replace Judaism with Greek culture. How did he defile the temple?
He set up an altar to Zeus in the temple and made the Jews offer improper sacrifices (like pigs).