Obadiah & 3 John Trivia Quiz

Answer: Edom

The nation of Edom was descended from Esau (Genesis 36:9), who was also called Edom (Genesis 25:30). Obadiah describes how God would bring disaster on Edom (Obadiah 1-7) and eventually destroy it (Obadiah 8-10).

Answer: betray it

"Everyone who has a treaty with you[Edom] will drive you to the border; everyone at peace with you will deceive and conquer you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for you." (Obadiah 7 HCSB)

R.C. Sproul points out that it was justice for Edom to be betrayed by its friendly nations after it had betrayed Judah in verses 10-14. (Reformation Study Bible, Obadiah 7)

Answer: gloating over him

Edom was described as abusing Jacob, Jacob being used symbolically for the people of Judah who were descendants of Jacob (Obadiah 10-12). God reprimanded Edom for staying away on the day strangers invaded Jerusalem, gloating over and mocking the people of Judah, and handing over their survivors (Obadiah 10-14).

Answer: the Day of the LORD

The Day of the Lord is mentioned from time to time in the prophets, described as a time of judgement and destruction (Isaiah 13:6, Joel 2:15, Zephaniah 1:4-7).

Obadiah says that on the Day of the Lord the nations will "be as though they had never been," but "there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion, and it will be holy" (verses 16-17 HCSB).

Answer: False

Obadiah says in verse 18 that "no survivor will remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken"(HCSB).

This doesn't have to mean that all the Edomites will be killed. One commentary* on Obadiah argues that the earlier statement in verse 17 that "there will be a deliverance on Mount Zion" (HCSB Bible) means that "Mount Zion (Jerusalem) will be a place where some [Edomites] will escape. These will be the people that trust God." In that case, God would no longer see the saved Edomites as Edomites but as Israelites, and the statement, "no survivor will remain of the house of Esau", would still be true. That would match well with Joel's statement that "everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem" (Joel 2:32 HCSB).

* "The Lord is King" by Philip Smith, Obadiah 15-18

Answer: True

2 and 3 John are both addressed to "the Elder".

3 John introduces itself this way (HCSB Bible): "The Elder: To my dear friend [or Beloved] Gaius: I love you in the truth."

Answer: healthy

"I pray that you [Gaius] may ... be in good health physically just as you are spiritually," John writes (3 John 2 HCSB). We know almost nothing about Gaius, the one to whom 3 John was addressed. According to a note in the New English Translation (on verse 1), Gaius was a common name, so the Gaius of 3 John is probably different than the Gaiuses of 1 Corinthians 1:14 and Romans 16:23.

Answer: doing things for the brothers

"The Elder" of 3 John says that it was good what Gaius was doing for their fellow believers (3 John 5-8).

Answer: D

John rants about how evil Diotrephes was: "If I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church." (3 John 10 HCSB)

John hardly comments about what Demetrius actually does but does briefly comment on the good reputation he had among the Christians: "Demetrius has a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. And we also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true." (3 John 12 HCSB)

Answer: does good

"Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God." (3 John 11 HCSB) This makes sense in terms of the preceding contrast between Diotrephes and Demetrius.