Their Deaths Reflect Their Lives Quiz

Answer: Jezebel

In Hebrew Jezebel's name means, "there is no nobility".

Jezebel was the daughter of the priest Ethbaal of Tyre and Sidon (ancient Phoenicia or modern-day Lebanon). She was responsible for encouraging her husband, Ahab, who was the king of Israel, to introduce the worship of the god of Tyre, 'Baal-Melkart', to Israel. This form of idolatry went against the exclusive worship of Yahweh (God).

The book of 1 Kings, chapter 18, tells us how the prophet Elijah withstood her actions. After Ahab's death, Jezebel's son Jehoram became king of Israel, but the prophet who had replaced Elijah, a man named Elisha, encouraged Jehu to revolt, and he killed Jehoram.

Jehu urged Jezebel's eunuchs to kill the queen by throwing her out of a window and leaving her body in the street to be eaten by the dogs. Only her skull, feet, and hands remained, which fulfilled a prophecy of Elijah.
(1 Kings 21:19 and 23) and (2 Kings 9: 30-37.)

In 1 Kings 21:25, we are told that Ahab was the most wicked king that Israel had; much of that wickedness he owed to the influence of his pagan wife.

Jezebel's final act, that of dressing herself in all of her finery and doing her hair and makeup before she was murdered, has led to her being represented as a type of prostitute. As a result, her name has become a slur and is used to define the quintessential "wicked woman".

Answer: he died of natural causes

Many Christians believe that he was the last surviving of the twelve apostles; that he was the only one to die a natural death, and that he died around the age of 94. If this view is correct, it may be considered a reflection of the life that he led.

According to Ephesians 6:3-4, King James Version, the Bible says, "Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long upon the earth."

Some, however, believe that John is still alive, basing that belief on a passage found in John 21:20-23.

Other teachings state that though John was plunged into boiling oil in Rome, he did not suffer from it.

The last portion of verse 23 of the passage in question, when Jesus was speaking to Peter, may help to clarify this somewhat.

"...yet Jesus said NOT unto him, 'He (John) shall not die'; but 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?'" (King James Version)
(emphasis mine)

Regardless of the viewpoint, the promise of long life for honoring one's parents still remains intact. Honoring means more than just obeying; it also means doing honorable things of which they will not be shamed by.

Answer: That He fulfilled his mission in life by becoming the ultimate sacrifice for man.

Christians believe that Jesus' purpose in coming to the earth was to die for the sins of mankind. They believe that His resurrection signifies mankind's resurrection, if people believe in Him, repenting (turning from) their sins and receiving the free gift of salvation that He alone provides.

All the miracles during His earth walk aside, Christians also believe that His primary purpose was to die, to be resurrected and to call all men unto Himself to reconcile mankind to the Father, through the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 16:21 in the King James Version puts it this way,

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew (show) unto his disciples, how he must go into Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribe, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

Answer: by hanging from a tree

This particularly horrible type of death is spoken of in Deuteronomy 21:22-23.

"And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance."

Absalom's name means "Father is peace" or "Salem is my Father", Salem or Shalom meaning "peace."

He is referred to as the most handsome man in the kingdom.
"But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him."

He was vain and deceitful, however, and he revolted against his father, David.
(This similarity to Lucifer's beauty and rebellion against God in heaven is striking.)

His manner of death is remarkable, because from the branches of the oak tree we see him hanging as a victim of his own desires, held tightly by his strong locks of hair.

Joab came along and finished him off, thinking perhaps that the king would be pleased to be rid of this usurper; therefore David's response is quite different from what Joab must have expected.

"O my son Absalom, my son, my son - Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Such is a father's love for his child; Scripture tells us this is not unlike God's love for his children who have gone astray.

Christians feel that Jesus' own death on the tree (cross) signifies Him bearing the curse for all of mankind.

Answer: 930

The Hebrew word Adam (Aw-dawm), means "earth". Adam died at the age of 930 years old.

"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7)

Jesus is often referred to as "the second Adam" based on the following scripture: "The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45)

Thus, in the minds of Christians, the imperfect first Adam was replaced by the perfect "second Adam", and hope was renewed for mankind.

Answer: he committed suicide

In a battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites (also called Philistines), Saul was mortally wounded. He begged his armor bearer to slay him but the man could not bring himself to do so. Saul fell upon his own sword in a final attempt to avoid capture by his enemies.

Amalek was the grandson of Esau, Jacob's (Israel's) twin brother. He was the son of Eliphaz and his concubine, Timna (Genesis 36:12).

The Amalekites are mentioned in the Bible as having two fatal character flaws: cruelty and cowardice. While they were warriors, they were not honorable ones, and they were not known for fighting fairly.

After the battle was over, an Amalekite soldier walked into David's camp with the dead king's crown and arm bracelet. He claimed to have been the one who put Saul out of his misery. He had thought that David would give him a reward for ending Saul's life, but that was a serious error of judgement on his part. David ordered the Amalekite to be put to death as punishment for killing God's anointed king. (2 Samuel 1:1-16).

Answer: disobedience - God

God did allow his servant Moses to see the Promised Land before he died, but according to Exodus, he was not allowed to enter in because of his disobedience in striking a rock to provide water for the people of Israel.

Previously, God had told him to strike a rock at Horeb in Rephidim in Exodus 17:6, but on this occasion, God had commanded him to SPEAK to this rock at Kadesh (Numbers 20:7-12). Water came gushing forth, anyway, with God providing for His people, but Moses and his brother, Aaron, the high priest, both had to pay a price for this act of disobedience. The price in this case was paid with their lives.

God himself buried Moses on Mt. Nebo in Moab (modern-day Jordan), according to Deuteronomy 34:5-8.

Answer: no one knows

Neither the Bible nor any other historical data indicates how Paul died.

Speculations and "traditions" have run rampant, with an assortment of suppositions offered, but none of them can be proven. One tradition has it that Paul was beheaded by Nero.

While most Christian traditions say that he was beheaded, others offer similarly unprovable suggestions. The simple truth of the matter is this: no one really knows.

The point here seems to be that the details of his death are irrelevant, as that might be considered a distraction from his self-avowed mission in life: teaching others about Christ, the Head of the Body or the church, along with the appropriate conduct and stewardship of its members.

Answer: his son, Adonijah

In the first chapter of 1 Kings in the King James Version, we are informed that Adonijah tried to take the throne against his father's wishes. The throne had already been assigned to Solomon via David's promise to Solomon's mother, Bathsheba.

As David related the story to Solomon how God had revealed to him that Solomon would be the next king of Israel in 1 Chronicles 22:9, there could have been little doubt as to David's intentions for the throne.

Adonijah, however, decided on his own that since he was the next in line chronologically (two of his older siblings were already dead), that he would simply assume the throne without bothering to find out his father's wishes. The prophet Nathan and Solomon's mother both intervened and established Solomon upon the throne of Israel.

Answer: the apostle Peter raised her from the dead

Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, received word from her friends that his presence was requested at Joppa, Dorcas' hometown. When he arrived at the upper room where they had lain her body, he simply spoke to her, "Tabitha, arise." (Acts 9:36-43)

Most noteworthy, however, is the response to her resurrection. In verse 42 of the passage, we see that, "And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord."

Christians believe that not only was her life a testimony, even in death and her subsequent resurrection, but her death also reflected the glory of God.