Unscramble the letters -- THESSALONIANS Quiz

Answer: insane

The missing word is 'insane'. It's a long story, but David, the mighty shepherd boy who took on Goliath and won, certainly had his moments of fear. The passage in question comes from Scripture telling of David fleeing to Gath after King Saul had been ruthlessly pursuing him. Although he had taken refuge from Saul, David now found himself in the hands of the Philistines.

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, madness in ancient times was associated with being controlled by a powerful spirit. While in Gath, David changed his demeanor and behaved as though he were insane, writing graffiti on the doors of the gates and drooling.

The king of Gath decided he wanted nothing to do with an insane man and David made his escape to the cave of Adullam, as per 1 Samuel 22:1.

Answer: lashes

The passage was written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and the missing word is 'lashes'. In other words, Paul is stating he was whipped on five different occasions, receiving 39 lashes each time, for a total of 195 lashes!

In verse 25-29, Paul tells more about his horrible sufferings: "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

Answer: noise

The missing word is 'noise'. Notes in the NKJV Study Bible have this to say about the verse: "The Lord's coming to His people is described using the imagery of the elements that accompanied Him at Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19) and when He fought for Israel (Isaiah 19:1, 30:27, Judges 5:4-5, Psalm 18:7-15, Habakkuk 3:3-7.)"

Answer: alone

The passage quotes Moses and the missing word is 'alone'. In a considerable part of Deuteronomy, Moses exhorts the Israelites to be faithful to the LORD before they cross into the Promised Land. Some theologians describe Deuteronomy as the last will and testament of Moses. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Deuteronomy means 'the second law'.

Answer: salt

The missing word is 'salt'. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles is credited with writing Colossians. The book was addressed to believers in the early church at Colosse, a community in present day Turkey.

(One of these days I plan to compile a quiz based on the word 'salt' in Scripture. Here are some examples: Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt, Elisha adding salt to a spring to make the water drinkable, Jesus telling the people they are the salt of the earth, etc., etc.)

Answer: steals

The missing word is 'steals'. Putting the verse in context, the passage Proverbs 6:30-32, does not condone theft.

Here's how verse 30, followed by verses 31 and 32, read in the NIV Bible:
"People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving. Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold, though it costs him all the wealth of his house."

The chapter then goes on to comment about the foolishness of adultery.

Proverbs 6:32-33, in the NIV, state: "But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away."

Answer: late

According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Psalm 127 is one of only two Psalms attributed to Solomon. The other one is Psalm 72. The Psalm is largely about a life live apart from God is not worth living.

To put the verse in context, here's how it reads in the NKJV with verse 1 before it:
"Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep."

Answer: stone

The missing word is 'stone'. The tomb being referenced is the one that had contained Jesus after His crucifixion. Mary would end up being completely amazed when she found the tomb was empty with Christ appearing to her, as per the 20th chapter of John. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, Mary was the last one at the cross and the first one at the grave. According to Mark 16:9, Jesus had driven seven demons out of Mary.

Answer: Lion

The missing word is 'Lion'. According to notes in the NKJV Study Bible, 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' and 'the Root of David' are Messianic titles for Jesus. The book of Revelation has perplexed readers for centuries. In a nutshell, the book is about the Fall of Babylon and the arrival of New Jerusalem. Babylon faces a horrific future while residents of the New Jerusalem will be filled with joy.

Answer: Silas

Silas is one of only three people, the others being Timothy and Sosthenes, that Paul includes in the very beginning of his letters. Most often, he includes only his name and no one else. Sosthenes' name appears at the beginning of 1 Corinthians while Timothy's name appears at the beginning of 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, as well as 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

Silas was a worker in the early church and he was imprisoned with Paul at Philippi, according to Acts 16:16-40.

The books titled 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians were both written by Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The books were addressed to members of the early church at Thessalonica.