Questions the Bible Left Unanswered
The Bible is one of the oldest and best-selling books of all time, with more than five billion copies distributed worldwide.
The scripture is a collection of sacred texts that serve as the basis of several religions pertaining to Christianity and Judaism. Many people turn to the Bible for answers about life and their faith. However, although the Bible is considered the ultimate resource for all things holy, the gospel also leaves several major questions unanswered.
Where Was the Garden of Eden Located?
Trying to piece together important details of people, places, and events described in the Bible has been somewhat of a challenge.
The Bible was written circa seventh century B.C., dating the sacred text back thousands of years ago. One of the mysteries of the Bible is the location of the Garden of Eden. The garden was the original home of Adam and Eve. In the biblical tale, Adam and Eve betray God by eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Historians have been unable to decipher the site where the Garden of Eden may have been.
Was the Garden of Eden Real or Fictional?
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve were God’s first creation of man and woman. They were the start of humanity and the Garden of Eden was their home.
The true meaning of the Garden of Eden is up for interpretation, as it remains unclear whether it was a real place or simply a metaphor. Some clues can be found in Genesis 2:10. The passage reads, “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers.”
Guesses As to Where the Garden of Eden May Have Been
This bit of information has led some to believe that the Garden of Eden may have been located in Mesopotamia, what is now Iraq and Kuwait, or modern-day Turkey or Armenia.
Though these locations are decent assumptions, nobody can confirm their validity. Was the Garden of Eden a real place on Earth, or was it just a fictional creation used to tell a story? That remains a mystery.
How Did God Create Humanity?
The Bible leaves questions surrounding the creation of man. It insists that God is the almighty creator of all humanity, but the text offers dual explanations for how humans were created.
Genesis 1 says that God created a male and female at the same time. However, in Genesis 2, the Bible states that God created the first female, Eve, from Adam’s rib. Thus, the true circumstances surrounding how God created human life remains a mystery.
Who Were the Sons of God?
The term “Son of God” is used more than forty times throughout the New Testament. While Jesus is referred to as the Son of God on multiple occasions, the Bible also references others as the Son of God.
Genesis 6:2 is one Bible verse that mentions this title, saying, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” The “sons of God” are believed to be a variety of things, from fallen angels to the descendants of Seth (the child of Adam and Eve). While these are great guesses, the Bible does not specifically identify who the sons of God are other than Jesus.
What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant is a biblical artifact that is considered to be “the most sacred artifact of the Israelites.”
The Book of Exodus says that the Ark held two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments etched onto them. While the Ark of the Covenant is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament, the Bible offers little explanation as to what became of the artifact.
Has the Ark of the Covenant Ever Been Found?
One theory is that the sacred Ark landed in Ethiopia where it remains guarded by a monk. Other theories suggest that the Ark is buried somewhere beneath the sacred city of Jerusalem.
Unearthing the Ark of the Covenant would be a miraculous discovery. To be able to see the original etchings of the Ten Commandments would be monumental. Unfortunately, the location of the Ark remains unknown to this day.
Why Are More Than Two Decades of Jesus’ Life Left Out of The Bible?
The New Testament details the life of Jesus Christ, but a large chunk of his life story is mysteriously excluded from biblical text. From the ages of 12 to 30, little is known about Jesus’ life.
While Jesus’ ‘lost years” are certainly a conundrum, many theories have developed to offer some sort of explanation for the lapse in time from Jesus’ birth to adulthood. While some suggest that Jesus remained in Nazareth, other theories say that he ventured to the city of Alexandria in Egypt, or to India.
Has Noah’s Ark Ever Been Discovered?
While historians have been able to verify that the Great Flood did take place to some extent thousands of years ago, the remains of Noah’s Ark have still never been recovered.
In the Bible, God warns Noah that a massive flood will wipe out mankind and calls on him to build an ark. Noah is instructed to fill the ark with two of every creature and they will be spared from the flood. Wooden fragments have been found on Mount Ararat in Turkey, but nobody has been able to link them to Noah’s Ark. If the ark really was constructed from wood as the Bible says, it may very well have rotted and disintegrated over time.
How Did Humans Repopulate the Earth?
While the Bible states that God created Adam and Eve, many have been left wondering how a man and a woman went on to populate the entire planet.
From a scientific standpoint, Adam and Eve’s procreation would have eventually resulted in their offspring reproducing with their own bloodline. We now know that various genetic disorders would have been present if Adam and Eve’s offspring were to mate. But if no other humans were around, how did humanity multiply?
Did More Than Two People Reproduce to Populate the Planet?
One popular theory suggests that God prevented genetic disorders that would normally occur with incestuous relationships.
Another probable suggestion is that God did, in fact, create more than two humans at the start of mankind. It is unlikely that we will ever know the truth about the start of human creation, but the Bible continues to leave many questions like this one unanswered.