Are You Prepared to Die?

A SIMPLE QUIZ

*1* To please God, what must we believe? (a) whatever our parents taught us, (b) whatever our preacher says, (c) that God exists and rewards those who diligently seek Him.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

*2* Where did the Scriptures come from? (a) they are inspired by God, (b) they express the opinions of men (c) they are ancient legends of unknown origin.
"...The things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 14:37). [See also Eph. 3:3-5; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Thess. 2:13; Gal. 1:11,12.]

*3* What did Thomas call Jesus? (a) a great preacher and a good man, (b) Lord and God, (c) a fraud.

*4* What must we believe to have eternal life? (a) that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, (b) that Mohammed is a prophet, (c) it does not matter.
"...we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). [See also John 8:24; Luke 19:10; Matt. 16:15-18; 10:37; John 1:1,14.]
Note: these claims do not permit compromise. We cannot say, "The Bible is just a good book," or "Jesus was just a great man." The Bible claims it is God's word, and Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. If these claims are not true, then Jesus is a liar and the Bible is a fraud!

*5* Read ACTS 17:24-28. What does this verse say is the origin of life? (a) life on earth has always existed, (b) an unplanned accident of nature produced the first primitive life by spontaneous generation in an ancient swamp, (c) life on earth was created by a living, wise, powerful God.
One of the most firmly established laws of science is the Law of Biogenesis, which says that life comes only from living things. There is no evidence that dead matter can spontaneously generate life.
The Bible agrees with scientific fact, for it says that life came from the eternal, living Creator (cf. Acts 14:15). However, evolution contradicts scientific proof, since it requires that dead matter sometime spontaneously came to life. Which view best fits the evidence?

*6* What kind of offspring do living things have? (a) the same kind as the parents, (b) with enough time, entirely different things may evolve, (c) you never know.

*7* What is man's place in the universe? (a) man is just another animal, (b) man is the most intelligent and powerful being in existence, (c) man is in the image of God but above the animals.
Simple observation shows that man is far above the animals

*8* How can we see God's power and divinity? (a) by "blind faith" without evidence, (b) by the things God made, (c) we cannot see them.

*9* What is the shape of the earth? (a) circle, (b) flat, (c) cylinder.
Isaiah wrote this when men thought the earth was flat ("circle" = "a circle, sphere" -- Gesenius).Today we have pictures taken from space to show the earth's shape, but how did Isaiah know?

*10* How is the earth held up? (a) by 4 huge pillars, (b) on the back of Atlas, (c) it is hung on nothing.
Ancient men believed many errors. How did Job know the truth?

*11* What is found in the sea according to this verse? (a) mountains, (b) paths, (c) seaweed, (d) fish.
Men knew of no paths in the sea until Matthew Maury read this verse and determined to find them. He discovered the ocean currents, and became known as the Father of Oceanography. (Impact, 9/91, pp. 3,4).

*12* ECCLESIASTES 1:7. What does this verse tell us about rivers? (a) rivers run to the sea, (b) the sea does not get fuller, (c) rivers go back where they were before, (d) all the preceding.
Today we understand how this happens by the water cycle and evaporation. How did Solomon know?

*13* How did God prove He is the true God and graven images are false? (a) He predicted future events, (b) He just told us to accept this without proof, (c) He does not care what people believe.
Men "do not know what will happen tomorrow" (James 4:14). It takes a Supreme Being to foretell the future accurately. If the God of the Bible can do this, then He must exist and must be the true God.

*14* If a man attempts to predict the future and fails, what can we know? (a) he is from God so we should believe him, (b) he is not guided by God, (c) we can't know anything about him.
If the Bible writers could infallibly predict the future, surely this would indicate God was working through them. [See also Jer. 28:9.]

*15* What did Jesus say about Old Testament Scriptures? (a) they no longer have any value, (b) He was unable to understand them, (c) they spoke about Him and He fulfilled them, (d) all the preceding.

*16* What did Jesus say His works proved? (a) that the Father sent Him, (b) that He was a skilled magician, (c) that anybody who loves God can receive miracles.

*17* What purpose was served by the miracles done through Paul? (a) they made Paul wealthy, (b) they proved the Lord spoke through Paul, (c) they proved everybody can do miracles, (d) all the preceding.
People need a way to distinguish God's true spokesmen from false ones. This was the purpose of miracles -- they "confirmed the word" (Mark 16:20). If men could do works that could occur only by the power of God, people would know God was working in those men and they would believe the message preached (Heb. 2:3,4; Acts 2:22; John 20:30,31; 4:48; 2 Cor. 12:12).

*18* Who realized that Jesus and His apostles did miracles? (a) Jewish leaders and all people in Jerusalem, (b) only Jesus' disciples, (c) only gullible fanatics.
Whether friend or foe, no one who really saw the works of Jesus and His apostles could deny that miracles were done. Their testimony becomes evidence on which we can base our faith (cf. Matt. 12:22-24; Acts 8:5-13; 13:10-13; Ex. 8:17-19; 1 Kings 18:17-39).

*19* What did Paul preach about Jesus? (a) He died, (b) He was buried, (c) He arose, (d) He appeared to many, (e) all the preceding.
The four gospel accounts confirm the facts. Remember that the Bible is historically trustworthy. Virtually everyone concedes these events to be true:

Correct answers to the questions are as follows:
*1* = C; *2* = A; *3* = B; *4* = A; *5* = C; *6* = A; *7* = C; *8* = B; *9* = A; *10* = C; *11* = B; *12 = D; *13* = A; *14* = B; *15* = C; *16* = A; *17* = B; *18* = A; *19* = E

After you have carefully checked out your answers, you must reach your verdict.

Remember that it does not matter to you what verdict other people reach. What matters is the verdict you reach. Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

In order to conclude honestly that God does NOT exist, the Bible is NOT God's word, and Jesus is NOT God's Son, here is what you must do:

1. Explain the existence of the universe without God to create it. What reasonable explanation is there?

2. Disprove the accuracy of the Bible. Skeptics have tried this for centuries without success.

3. Disprove the unity of the Bible. Again, this has been tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully.

4. Explain the fulfilled prophecies. What explanation can there be, other than the inspiration of God?

5. Disprove the miracles. But even Jesus' enemies in the first century could not do this!

6. Disprove the resurrection. What explanation can you give?

What verdict will you reach? Do you believe God exists, the Bible is God's word, and Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God?