Wrapping Up Trivia Files Contest: Answers and Winner

Well, I'm getting this up a little late, but here is a list of all the answers to all of my quiz questions.

1. Sacred or Secular: Quote one is Galatians 4: 16; Quote 2 is from Pericles, I.i. 97, by Shakespeare.
2. Who said it?: The Apostle Paul said this at the beginning of his sermon to the Athenians on Mars Hill.
3. Movie Accuracy: Actually, Moses raised his staff above the waters; he did not strike the waters of the Red Sea to part them. (see Exodus 14: 15-31)
4.  Commandments: “Love your neighbor as yourself” is one of the two “greatest commandments” that Jesus put forth, not one of the Ten Commandments.
5. One for the Soldiers: Gideon.  He overheard two men in the Midianite camp discussing a dream one of the men had, in which a large loaf of bread rolls through their camp.  The other man interpreted the loaf to symbolize Gideon.  (Judges 7)
6.  Symbolism and Eschatology: The lampstand was associated with the almond tree from the beginning (see Exodus 25: 33).  The almond tree was the first to bloom in the springtime, and in Hebrew, its name is very similar to the word for “watching” (see Jeremiah 1: 10-12, where God uses it as a symbol for “watching to see that [His] prophecy is fulfilled”).  I discussed this in my post, “An Almond Branch.”  In essence, the lampstand seems to illustrate, figuratively, a faith in God, a belief in things He will do, not just things He’s done (see Hebrews 11:1, 2).  So when Christ threatens to remove the lampstand from the church in Ephesus, He was acknowledging that they were losing that pure, young faith that trusts God with the future.  They knew what was righteous, but their faith was dying and being replaced by a type of ritualistic Christianity.
7. Prophecy Fulfilled: There are many prophecies from the Old and New Testaments that have been fulfilled and can be confirmed archaeologically and historically.  The nation of Israel was predicted to be sent into exile, and the one who would send them back was predicted by name—Cyrus—well-before he was even born.   Cyrus did exist, and outside sources confirm that he ordered that Israel be returned to their homeland.   The changes in kingdoms in Nebuchadnezzar's dream has of course been confirmed through history, but there have been some who contest the identity of some of the different kingdoms in the dream.  They seem to be a series of great empires, but some say not all of them have come yet.  Another fulfilled prophecy is Christ's prediction of the Roman invasion of Israel that resulted in the scattering of the Jews throughout Europe.  The most notable prophecy that has been confirmed in recent years is the return of Israel to Palestine in 1948, a subject that no one ever thought would happen, and which continues to draw comment from secular scholars.
8. Riddle Me This: Samson, at the wedding feast, tells a riddle to his new in-laws.  His Philistine wife begged for him to share the answer so her in-laws wouldn't lose the bet, and Samson ended up killing a bunch of Philistine in Ashkelon to fulfill his end of the bargain (See Judges 14).
9. Test a prophet: Ask a vague question and get a thorough answer.  I was only asking for the test proscribed in Deuteronomy 18: 19-22, that the test of the prophet's prophecy is whether it comes true.

So by my tally, Kamal got most of the questions correct (the lion's share, in fact), and I think he should get extra credit for question 9.  Since there were no other challengers, it looks like he's getting the copy of  So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour.  Kamal, since I know you on facebook, I think it would be faster if you would just send me a message with your address in it, so I can know where to send the book.

This quiz has been a sort of thanks to my readers and those who leave comments on my posts.  You are one big reason why I keep writing.  Please keep them coming!  More contests to follow.  Next up, a regular post you might want to read.