Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Incredible Mysteries of the Bible: A Visual Exploration
    Incredible Mysteries of the Bible: A Visual Exploration
    Incredible Mysteries of the Bible: A Visual Exploration
    Ebook310 pages1 hour

    Incredible Mysteries of the Bible: A Visual Exploration

    By Stephen M. Miller

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Where was the garden of Eden?What happened to the ark of the covenant?What is the unforgivable sin Jesus spoke of?If you’ve ever wondered about these or other questions while reading the Bible, then this is the book for you. Here is a fascinating look at some of the most perplexing mysteries found in the pages of the Bible. Drawing from the latest research in both archaeology and biblical studies, Incredible Mysteries of the Bible sheds fascinating and helpful light on fifty topics. Each article is accompanied by beautiful full-color images and helpful sidebars.Whether you read the book cover to cover or dip in and out at your leisure, you’ll gain a greater understanding of the world and message of the Bible. So grab your sleuthing hat and dig in!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateAug 30, 2009
    ISBN9780310866343
    Incredible Mysteries of the Bible: A Visual Exploration
    Author

    Stephen M. Miller

    Stephen M. Miller is a best-selling author, seminary-educated journalist, and a full-time freelance writer and editor who specializes in Bible-related projects. Among his books are Who’s Who in the Bible, The Bible Through the Ages, The Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Life and Times, Complete Guide to the Bible, and How to Get Into the Bible. He also contributed to The Quest Study Bible.

    Read more from Stephen M. Miller

    Related to Incredible Mysteries of the Bible

    Titles in the series (100)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Dead Sea Scroll Fragments And 'World's Oldest Basket' Found In Desert Cave

      Mar 16, 2021

      Israeli archaeologists have unearthed two dozen Dead Sea scroll fragments from a remote cave in the Judean Desert, the first discovery of such Jewish religious texts in more than half a century. “For the first time in approximately 60 years, archaeol

      2 min read

    • Article

      From Exodus to Exile

      Dec 5, 2019

      The Exodus as dated in the Jewish calendar would land around this date. Archaeologists largely doubt the accuracy of this event taking place, but it does correspond broadly with waning Egyptian influence in the region of Canaan. The reign of the thi

      2 min read

    • Article

      Red Alert

      May 20, 2019

      Why does the Church today appear to be so powerless? Why are so many churches emptying? Why have young people fled the church? Why do some Christians consider ‘gathering together as the church’ to be irrelevant? What is happening in our generation?

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Real Landscapes of the Great Flood Myths: In Tibet, a geologist learns how folk stories may record actual catastrophes.

      Jun 18, 2015

      I came to Tibet in the spring of 2002 to investigate a geologic mystery: How had the mighty Tsangpo River cut through the rising Himalaya to carve the deepest gorge in the world? Origin questions like this one fascinate me. I’m a geomorphologist—I st

      8 min read

    • Article

      Origin Stories

      Aug 6, 2023

      Vampires spring a few tropes to mind: a thirst for human blood, pointy fangs, Robert Pattinson. But variations on bloodsucking ghouls who have an aversion to sunlight have appeared in legends across the planet for thousands of years. The Mesopotamian

      3 min read

    • Article

      Soar To The Heights Of Spring

      Feb 13, 2020

      Soar To The Heights Of Spring
      4 min read

    • Article

      Unfathomable Legends

      Nov 4, 2021

      Unfathomable Legends
      11 min read

    • Article

      QUOTE THE RAVEN: Never more Caw! Caw!

      Oct 1, 2020

      QUOTE THE RAVEN: Never more Caw! Caw!
      3 min read

    • Article

      Slippery CUSTOMERS

      Nov 26, 2019

      Slippery CUSTOMERS
      4 min read

    • Article

      Of Love And Lettuces

      Mar 12, 2020

      Of Love And Lettuces
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Ancient Egyptian Underworld

      May 23, 2019

      The Ancient Egyptian Underworld
      10 min read

    • Article

      Transcendent Sites

      Jun 10, 2022

      Transcendent Sites
      2 min read

    • Article

      Where Was Den ?

      May 20, 2019

      Where Was Den ?
      5 min read

    • Article

      Mermaids And Sea Myths

      Nov 3, 2022

      Mermaids And Sea Myths
      9 min read

    • Article

      Life In A Busy Oasis

      Apr 11, 2019

      Life In A Busy Oasis
      9 min read

    • Article

      Fatal Enchantment

      Apr 1, 2024

      Fatal Enchantment
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Lore Of Water

      Mar 27, 2020

      The Lore Of Water
      1 min read

    • Article

      Adventure Land

      Dec 21, 2022

      Adventure Land
      7 min read

    • Article

      Adventure Land

      Dec 21, 2022

      Adventure Land
      7 min read

    • Article

      Braindump

      Dec 23, 2021

      Braindump
      4 min read

    • Article

      Birding Israel

      Dec 4, 2021

      Birding Israel
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Camelot Of Africa

      Nov 10, 2021

      The Camelot Of Africa
      5 min read

    • Article

      Resurrection Biology

      Feb 27, 2024

      Resurrection Biology
      3 min read

    • Article

      Of Beaty And Love

      Aug 13, 2021

      In preparation for a trip to Greece, instead of using the traditional approach of reading maps and guidebooks, my son Jack, 12, and I read the myths.We did apply ourselves to more practical planning methods but added ancient Greek wisdom to make thin

      3 min read

    • Article

      News Of The Week

      Sep 22, 2023

      News Of The Week
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Incredible Mysteries of the Bible

    4/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Incredible Mysteries of the Bible - Stephen M. Miller

      ZONDERVAN

      Incredible Mysteries of the Bible

      Copyright © 2008 by Stephen M. Miller

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

      ePub Edition August 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-86634-3

      Requests for information should be addressed to:

      Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Miller, Stephen M., 1952 –

      Incredible mysteries of the Bible : a visual exploration / Stephen M. Miller.

      p. cm.—(Zondervan visual reference series)

      ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25594-9

      ISBN-10: 0-310-25594-5

      1. Bible—Miscellanea 2. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title.

      BS615.M54 2007

      220—dc22

      2007000428

      All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

      Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource to you. These are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

      Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, www.alivecommunications.com.

      Interior design by Ron Huizenga

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Title Page

      Copyright Page

      Where Was the Garden of Eden?

      Did People Really Live Hundreds of Years?

      Was There Really a World-Wide Flood?

      Whatever Happened to Noah’s Ark?

      What Was the Tower of Babel?

      Why Circumcision As a Symbol of God’s Promise to Abraham?

      What Happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?

      Were the Plagues of Egypt Natural Disasters?

      How Large Was the Exodus Crowd?

      Did the Red Sea Really Part?

      Why Did the Israelites Worship a Golden Calf?

      Why Did God Require Blood Sacrifices?

      Why Kosher Food?

      Where Did the Manna and Quail Come From?

      Why Didn’t God Let Moses into the Promised Land?

      Why Did God Order All Canaanites Slaughtered?

      Did the Walls of Jericho Really Come Tumblin’ Down?

      Did the Sun and Moon Stop during Joshua’s Battle?

      What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant?

      Why Did a Chariot of Fire Take Elijah to Heaven?

      How Could Isaiah Accurately Describe Jesus—700 Years BC?

      Did a Big Fish Really Swallow Jonah?

      Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?

      What Happened to Israel’s Lost Tribes?

      What Was the Star of Bethlehem?

      Was Mary Really a Virgin When She Delivered Jesus?

      Why Are Shady Women Listed in Jesus’ Family Tree?

      Why Didn’t Jesus Want to Turn Water into Wine at Cana?

      Is the Devil a Living Being, or a Symbol of Evil?

      Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?

      How Can There Be Three Gods in One?

      What Is the Unforgivable Sin?

      Why Did Judas Betray Jesus?

      Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

      Whatever Happened to the Twelve Disciples?

      Why the Bizarre Symbols in the End-Time Writings?

      Why Did Paul Tell Women to Keep Quiet in Church?

      Is a Planet-Killing Apocalypse Coming?

      When Will Jesus Return?

      Is Hell Real or a Symbol?

      About the Publisher

      Share Your Thoughts

      WHERE WAS THE GARDEN OF EDEN?

      OCEAN OR MOUNTAINS There are two competing theories at the moment. The garden of Eden was either located in what is now the Persian Gulf, or in the mountains of northern Iran, near the Ararat range where Noah’s ark came to a rest.

      There’s not much to go on in the Bible except the names of four rivers. All four sprang from an unnamed river that watered the garden and then flowed out, splitting four ways. Two of those rivers are well known: the Tigris and Euphrates that empty into the Persian Gulf. But two remain a mystery: the Pishon and Gihon.

      UNDERWATER One theory says the Persian Gulf was once a fertile river valley, and home to Eden. Flooding—perhaps from a cataclysmic deluge or from melting polar ice that lifted the sea levels—inundated the valley and linked it with the Arabian Sea, creating the gulf and burying Eden.

      The lost river of Pishon may have been what is now the dried up fossil of a river in Kuwait: Wadi al Batin. The lost Gihon may have been Iran’s only navigable river: the Karun. Thousands of animal remains in the Gulf area suggest it was once home to a forest of plants and animals.

      IN THE MOUNTAINS This theory places Eden on the high plains of a mountain range where the Tigris and Euphrates start—700 miles north of the Persian Gulf.

      There, near the Iranian industrial town of Tabriz, flow two more rivers—some say the lost rivers of Eden. The Gihon may be the river called Giahun before the Islamic invasion of the seventh century AD; it’s now called Aras. The Pishon may be the former Uizhun, with the P switched to U to accommodate the Iranian alphabet. The river is now called Uzun, with an added first name: Kezel, which means golden. Genesis said the Pishon flowed around a land rich in gold—as does the Kezel Uzun, or the Golden Pishon if this theory is right.

      IN SEARCH OF EDEN One theory puts Eden in the mountains of northern Iran. Four rivers with names identical or similar to those in the Bible get their start in those mountains. Problem: other than mountain streams, there’s no main river like the one the Bible says fed those four in Eden. A second theory puts Eden in what some say was once a river valley that flooded to become the Persian Gulf. Problem: all four rivers flow the wrong way—into Even, instead of the direction the Bible says they flowed, out of Even. Some wonder if this reversal was the writer’s way of saying Eden can never be found.

      FIRST MENTION OF EDEN? The Bible isn’t the first place to mention Eden, some scholars say. That distinction goes to this clay tablet with its wedge-shaped cuneiform letters pressed into soft clay a thousand years before Abraham from Sumer, the world’s first known civilization. Sumerians lived in what is now Iraq. The word edin, meaning plain, appears in one of their 5,000-year-old epics—the story Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta. The story describes edin as a land of abundance.

      ARMED ANGEL To keep Adam and Eve from coming back to Eden, God stationed an armed guard on Eden’s east border—a cherubim with a flaming sword. East of Iran’s northern plains, where some say God planted the garden of Eden, there’s a village called Helabad. Formerly known as Kheruabad, it was settled in ancient times by a tribe of fierce warriors called the Kheru. Some scholars say this could be a variation of keruvim, the Hebrew word for cherubim.

      Tabriz, where some say the garden of Eden was located, now covered in urban sprawl.

      FORBIDDEN APPLE? The Bible mentions apples several times, but not in the story of Adam and Eve. Some scholars suggest that a peach or an apricot was more likely Eve’s dangling temptation. Yet apples were a favorite fruit in the ancient Middle East, and the prophet Joel said locusts destroyed apple orchards. Whatever the fruit, eating it brought death into the world. In an ancient Babylonian story, the plant was apparently seaweed. A warrior named Gilgamesh who lived about 5,00 years ago plucked a magical plant from the sea bottom. It was supposed to make him immortal—but a snake swallowed it.

      ADAM FROM THE RED LAND

      Red dirt is common in the Iranian mountains where some scholars speculate Eden once flourished. Adam sounds almost identical to words that mean red (adom), dirt (adama), and blood (adamu). The Bible plays off one of these connections by saying God made Adam from adama. An ancient burial custom in one of Iran’s mountain

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1