When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them.

• Numbers 21:1

And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)

• Deuteronomy 2:23

On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan, passed the northern slope of Jericho and headed west into the hill country, coming out at the wilderness of Beth Aven.

• Joshua 18:12

“Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’

• Judges 5:28

“What does he look like?” he asked. “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

• 1 Samuel 28:14

It is nearly to the end of Advent Season, and I have not had a Christmas related quiz this year.

So, I asked myself, “What is Advent anyway?”  Advent is the anticipation, the readiness, for something that could soon come.  Jesus said that He is coming soon.  “Soon” in this context relates to God’s calendar.  God is outside time and space.  The Scriptures say that a thousand years is like a day and a day like a thousand years.  So, God has His definition of soon that might not match what we want.

But “soon” is to the life expectancy of each of us something that will happen in not that long of a time.  And when we awaken from our body at death, the first thing we will see, according to many pastors and theologians is the face of Jesus.

But the focus that I rarely hear in Advent sermons, unless as a passing notion, is that we need to prepare ourselves for Jesus’ return as if He were coming tomorrow.

I think possibly one of the worst times for Jesus to show up in His eventual and inevitable return will be the Christmas season.  We are preparing for Santa Claus, the church Cantata, maybe an elaborate New Year celebration, a big feast, buying presents, etc.  Are any of the Christians outside looking toward the East, looking to see Jesus coming through the clouds with an army and riding a white horse?  If that happened in December, would anyone be prepared and ready for that event?

The questions all come from the New Testament.  The verses relate to a verse or are a verse containing the word “coming” in the New Testament.  This does not always mean the return of Jesus.  Oddly, in the NIV, the word “coming” appears 122 times in the Old Testament and 122 times in the New Testament.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	In the first use of “coming” in the NT, the verse says that upon their coming to the house, they saw the mother Mary and the child.  Who then bowed down and worshipped?
2	In the first mention of “coming” in the Gospel of Mark, what was Jesus coming out of when He saw the spirit like a dove descending?
3	When Jesus was brought to the temple at the prescribed time, who began speaking about the child to everyone around her, and how the child was their redemption?
4	In John’s poetic language that starts his gospel, what form of energy was “coming into the world.”
5	Who quoted Joel and then said, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” in a sermon on Pentecost?
6	Why was Paul hindered in coming to the people of Rome?
7	Paul’s message of wisdom among the mature is given to the Corinthians, but not to what and whom?
8	Paul tells the Corinthians that when he and his helpers came to Macedonia, they had trouble from all sides and within.  What did they get with the coming of Titus and this feeling that the Corinthians gave Titus?
9	In explaining the shift from the law to faith, Paul tells the Galatians that we were in what to the law and what type of person did the law represent, but now we were freed?
10	Paul told the Ephesians that God lifted us up and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms to show the coming ages the richness of His what?

More on the statistics about the word “coming”:

There are ten books of the Old Testament that do not contain the word “coming.”  These books are: Leviticus, 1 Chronicles, Ezra, Esther, Proverbs, Lamentations, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, and Haggai.

Leviticus makes sense.  It is the book of what to do until the Messiah arrives, kind of.  And Proverbs is in the same vein on the wisdom side of things.  We will be wise when the King of kings is with us, imparting His wisdom to us directly.

You would think that the prophets would mention something that is coming, but maybe not using that word.  And considering Lamentations through Haggai, they combine to provide a sum of 15 chapters, Lamentations makes up a third of those chapters and the focus is upon what is lost rather than the focus on what comes next.

As for the New Testament, there are only four books that do not have the word “coming.”  These books are: 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and 3 John.  Again, very short books, all letters, with specific purposes, some preparing and encouraging the recipient for what is happening now.

And on the side of those books that use the word, Jeremiah uses “coming” most of any book, 25 times in the NIV, and closely following is the Gospel of John, with 23 times in the NIV.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	In the first use of “coming” in the NT, the verse says that upon their coming to the house, they saw the mother Mary and the child.  Who then bowed down and worshipped?	Matthew 2:11
2	In the first mention of “coming” in the Gospel of Mark, what was Jesus coming out of when He saw the spirit like a dove descending?	Mark 1:10
3	When Jesus was brought to the temple at the prescribed time, who began speaking about the child to everyone around her, and how the child was their redemption?	Luke 2:38
4	In John’s poetic language that starts his gospel, what form of energy was “coming into the world.”	John 1:9
5	Who quoted Joel and then said, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” in a sermon on Pentecost?	Acts 2:20
6	Why was Paul hindered in coming to the people of Rome?	Romans 15:22
7	Paul’s message of wisdom among the mature is given to the Corinthians, but not to what and whom?	1 Corinthians 2:6
8	Paul tells the Corinthians that when he and his helpers came to Macedonia, they had trouble from all sides and within.  What did they get with the coming of Titus and this feeling that the Corinthians gave Titus?	2 Corinthians 7:5-7
9	In explaining the shift from the law to faith, Paul tells the Galatians that we were in what to the law and what type of person did the law represent, but now we were freed?	Galatians 3:23
10	Paul told the Ephesians that God lifted us up and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms to show the coming ages the richness of His what?	Ephesians 3:7

But in a different sense, Jesus is already here, in our hearts.

God is near, right beside us.  His immanence is all through us.  I think the comment that God knows the number of hairs on your head was meant for people who would not understand the concept that our bodies are made of a number of cells and God has all those counted.  And within each cell, God knows how many molecules and atoms are contained in each.

The Holy Spirit is in our thoughts, guiding us, directing us.  Whether we listen is another subject.  Whether we keep our eyes on Jesus is another subject.

But the Scriptures often speak of evil lurking in the shadows.  Have you ever been in a shadow and you were tempted to do something naughty?  Did you not know that even though God is light, He is in the shadows of this world.  Think of Psalm 23.  God is near us then also.

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The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	In the first use of “coming” in the NT, the verse says that upon their coming to the house, they saw the mother Mary and the child.  Who then bowed down and worshipped?	Matthew 2:11	The Magi
2	In the first mention of “coming” in the Gospel of Mark, what was Jesus coming out of when He saw the spirit like a dove descending?	Mark 1:10	Water, at his baptism
3	When Jesus was brought to the temple at the prescribed time, who began speaking about the child to everyone around her, and how the child was their redemption?	Luke 2:38	Anna, the prophet, from the tribe of Asher, she was a 84-year-old widow, and she never left the temple.
4	In John’s poetic language that starts his gospel, what form of energy was “coming into the world.”	John 1:9	The true light
5	Who quoted Joel and then said, “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” in a sermon on Pentecost?	Acts 2:20	Simon Peter
6	Why was Paul hindered in coming to the people of Rome?	Romans 15:22	Paul followed God’s leading in presenting the Gospel where Jesus Christ was not known.
7	Paul’s message of wisdom among the mature is given to the Corinthians, but not to what and whom?	1 Corinthians 2:6	What? – the wisdom of this age Whom? – the rulers of this age
8	Paul tells the Corinthians that when he and his helpers came to Macedonia, they had trouble from all sides and within.  What did they get with the coming of Titus and this feeling that the Corinthians gave Titus?	2 Corinthians 7:5-7	Comfort
9	In explaining the shift from the law to faith, Paul tells the Galatians that we were in what to the law and what type of person did the law represent, but now we were freed?	Galatians 3:23	We were in custody under the law.  The law was our guardian, but faith has freed us.
10	Paul told the Ephesians that God lifted us up and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms to show the coming ages the richness of His what?	Ephesians 3:7	Grace, expressed in kindness

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here is the Redeemed Quartet singing Coming Soon.

Here is the Oak Ridge Boys singing Jesus is Coming Soon.

Here are the Asidors singing Come Thou Fount.  The family keeps expanding and growing.

Here is Jehovah Shalom Acapella singing When the Morning Comes.

Be prepared.  Jesus is Coming Soon.  And we will understand it better, by and by.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.