Bible Study
The people and moments that carry the story of redemption. From the Passover lamb to the bronze serpent, see how the great events of Scripture point to Jesus.
Study this in the app →Scripture is one true story moving toward Jesus. Knowing its people and turning points isn't trivia for its own sake — it's learning to read the whole Bible as the account of God rescuing a people for Himself.
From a garden to an exodus to an empty tomb, each event rhymes with the next: the exodus prefigures the cross, the prophets point to the Messiah, the apostles carry the news to the world.
“God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.”
God creates effortlessly, by His word.
“Noah did everything that the LORD commanded him.”
Faith that obeys before the rain.
“I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people out of Egypt.”
God calls Moses to lead the exodus.
“My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions' mouths.”
God preserves the faithful.
“Don't be afraid, Mary... you will give birth to a son, and shall name him Jesus.”
God enters His own story.
“This beginning of his signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee.”
Water to wine — the first sign.
“He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' He who was dead came out.”
A preview of resurrection.
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Pentecost — the Spirit poured out on the church.
Who was the mother of Jesus?
Answer: Mary
Mary, a young woman from Nazareth, was chosen to bear the Son of God. Her response models faith: 'Let it be done to me according to your word' (Luke 1:38).
Word study: The angel calls her 'favored one' — Greek kecharitomene, from charis (grace): one to whom God has shown grace.
Context: An unwed pregnancy carried real social danger in first-century Judea. Mary's yes was costly faith.
Who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River?
Answer: John the Baptist
John prepared the way, calling people to repentance. At Jesus' baptism the Father spoke and the Spirit descended — one of the clearest glimpses of the Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17). John knew his role: 'He must increase, but I must decrease' (John 3:30).
Word study: 'Baptize' is Greek baptizo — to immerse or dip; an outward sign of inward repentance.
Context: John lived as a wilderness prophet; crowds streamed to him. He pointed away from himself to 'the Lamb of God' (John 1:29).
How many disciples did Jesus appoint as His apostles?
Answer: Twelve
Jesus chose twelve, echoing the twelve tribes — a sign He was forming a renewed people of God. Note the order: first 'to be with him,' then 'to send them out.'
Word study: 'Apostle' is Greek apostolos — 'one sent out,' a commissioned messenger carrying the sender's authority.
Context: Twelve announced that God was regathering His people, with Jesus at the center.
What did God create on the very first day (Genesis 1)?
Answer: Light
God speaks, and creation answers. The sun and moon don't appear until day four (Genesis 1:14-16), so the first light points to God Himself as its source (John 8:12; Revelation 21:23).
Word study: The Hebrew is simply yehi or — 'let there be light.' God creates by His word, with no struggle against rival powers.
Context: Surrounding nations told of gods battling chaos to make the world. Genesis presents one God who simply speaks.
Who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt?
Answer: Moses
God called Moses — reluctant and stammering — to lead the exodus, the great Old Testament picture of redemption by God's power, foreshadowing the greater rescue Jesus accomplishes.
Word study: God reveals His name as 'I AM' (Hebrew tied to YHWH, Exodus 3:14) — the same name Jesus takes up in John 8:58.
Context: The exodus became Israel's defining story of salvation, retold every Passover — the feast Jesus reframed around Himself.
In John 11, what did Jesus do for His friend Lazarus?
Answer: Raised him from the dead
Raising Lazarus is the climactic sign in John, pointing to Jesus' own resurrection. Just before it: 'I am the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25). And 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35) — He enters our grief before overturning it.
Word study: 'Come out' is a single sharp command; the One who spoke creation now speaks life into a tomb.
Context: Lazarus had been dead four days — past hope by the customs of the time — setting Jesus' road to the cross in motion.
Who built an ark in obedience to God before the flood?
Answer: Noah
Noah's faith showed itself in obedience — building for years a ship for a flood no one had seen. Hebrews 11:7 honors him: 'by faith Noah... prepared a ship for the saving of his house.' Real faith acts before it sees.
Word study: 'Ark' renders the Hebrew tebah, a box-like vessel — the same rare word used for the basket that saved baby Moses (Exodus 2:3). God preserves His people through the waters.
Context: In a world given over to violence, one family's obedience became the thread through which God preserved humanity — and pointed ahead to salvation.
Who was thrown into a den of lions yet kept safe by God?
Answer: Daniel
Daniel kept praying openly even when it was outlawed, trusting God over the king's decree. God shut the lions' mouths — a vivid picture of faithfulness under pressure and a God who delivers His own.
Word study: Daniel's name means 'God is my judge' — fitting for a man who answered to God above any earthly court.
Context: Exiled in Babylon, Daniel served pagan kings with integrity while never compromising his worship — a model for living faithfully in a foreign culture.
On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), what came upon the disciples?
Answer: The Holy Spirit
As Jesus promised, the Spirit was poured out, birthing the church and empowering ordinary people to proclaim Christ in many languages. Three thousand believed that day (Acts 2:41). The mission to the world had begun.
Word study: 'Filled' is Greek pletho — completely filled, overflowing. The tongues of fire recall God's presence in fire throughout Scripture.
Context: Pentecost was a Jewish harvest feast drawing pilgrims from many nations — the perfect moment for the gospel to go out in their own languages.
What was Jesus' first miraculous sign, according to John?
Answer: Turning water into wine at Cana
At a wedding running short on wine, Jesus turned water into the finest wine — quietly revealing His glory to His disciples. John calls Jesus' miracles 'signs' because they point beyond themselves to who He is.
Word study: John's word for miracle is semeion — 'sign,' not just 'wonder.' Each one signifies something true about Jesus.
Context: A wedding feast was a joyous, days-long celebration; running out of wine would shame the family. Jesus' first sign rescues joy and points to the greater feast to come.
What did the Passover lamb foreshadow (Exodus 12; 1 Corinthians 5:7)?
Answer: Christ, our Passover, sacrificed for us
On the night of the exodus, a lamb died and its blood shielded God's people from judgment. Paul says this pointed forward to Jesus: 'Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us.' His blood shelters all who trust Him.
Word study: 'Passover' is Hebrew pesach — to pass over, to spare. The Lord's judgment passed over every home marked by the lamb's blood.
Context: Jesus was crucified at Passover, the very feast remembering the exodus — the true Lamb dying as the lambs were slain.
What did Jesus say the bronze serpent pointed to (Numbers 21; John 3:14-15)?
Answer: Himself, lifted up so that those who look in faith may live
When venomous snakes struck Israel, God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent; all who looked at it lived. Jesus said this pictured Him: lifted up on the cross, He is the one we look to in faith to be saved from sin's deadly bite.
Word study: 'Lifted up' (Greek hypsoo) carries a double meaning in John — both lifted on the cross and exalted in glory.
Context: The cure required no effort but a look of trust — a vivid picture of salvation by faith, not by works.