Great Things in The Bible Quiz

Answer: Nineveh

Jonah mentions Nineveh as a "great city" four times, in verses 1:2, 3:2, 3:3 and 4:11. Jonah is one of the minor Old Testament prophets, who God sends to the people of Nineveh. Jonah resists this mission at first, but eventually comes around.

Babylon is described as a "great city" several times in Revelation. Jerusalem is described as a "great city" in Revelation 21:10. And Resen is described as a "great city" in Genesis 10:12.

Answer: The burning bush

Moses calls the burning bush a "great sight" in Exodus 3:3. God speaks through the burning bush to instruct Moses to return to Egypt (which he fled after committing murder) to liberate the enslaved Israelites,

Moses does return to Egypt and God subjects the Egyptians to a variety of plagues, Pharaoh finally relents when Gods kills the children of Egypt.

Answer: Abraham

In Genesis 15:1, God tells Abraham "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." This is one of several promises that God makes to Abraham, who is one of the central figures of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

God also promised to make Abraham's descendants "a great nation" (Genesis 12:2 and 18:18) and that he will make Abraham's name great (Genesis 12:2).

Answer: Paul

Acts 22 describes Saul/Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, in which he was surrounded by a great light and Jesus asked why Saul was persecuting Christians. The experience had a profound impact on Paul, who converted to Christianity and became the church's most important early evangelist. He wrote roughly half of the New Testament.

Answer: Assyria

Second Kings 18 is focused on the rule of King Hezekiah, who ruled in the late eighth and early seventh centuries. The "great king" referenced is probably Sargon, who was a powerful general who dramatically expanded the power of Assyria.

The Assyrian empire was based in what is today northern Iraq. Its largest city, Nineveh, was located near modern day Mosul, Iraq. Assyria first arose as a power around 2600 BC. It reached its highest point between 900 and 600 BCE, when it stretched from Egypt to Persia. Assyria fell to the Babylonians in the late seventh century BCE, but continued to stumble along for several more centuries.

Answer: Revelation

Revelation 20:11 mentions the "great white throne" but does not mention who is seated upon it; the presumption is Jesus, because whoever is seated on the throne will divide the dead into the righteous and the condemned. Revelation 20 is a big part of "tribulation" theology.

Answer: Jonah

The book of Jonah is about God's call to Jonah to travel to Nineveh. When Jonah tries to flee responsibility, God sends a storm to torment Jonah's boat. The passengers throw Jonah off the boat and he is swallowed by a "great fish" in verse 1:17. Jonah later repents and goes to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire.

Answer: Matthew

Matthew 24:21 specifically contains the phrase "great tribulation." It is part of the Olivet discourse, an apocalyptic vision of Jesus that occurs in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13 and Luke 21. While Mark 13 does mention tribulation, it does not describe it as "great."

Answer: Leviticus and Deuteronomy

The warning about eating "great owls" (along with many other types of birds) is found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Both chapters establish kosher dietary laws.

The "great owl" refers specifically to the Pharaoh or Egyptian eagle owl (Bubo ascalaphus). It ranges from Morocco to Saudi Arabia. Pharaoh owls live in cliffs and like most owls are nocturnal.

Answer: Ezekiel

Ezekiel 1 opens with the prophet describing "a great cloud" (verse 1:4). Ezekiel describes winged creatures with multiple faces; some suggest this may have been an encounter with extraterrestrials.

Ezekiel is one of the stranger books of the Bible, with numerous odd visions. The vision in chapter 1 took place in the land of the Caldeans, near the river Chebar. Most current biblical scholars place the location near the city of Nippur, in southern Iraq.