Answer: B.
(Genesis 1:14–19); (Genesis 1:11–13)
Note: Plant life appears on Day 3, before the celestial bodies appointed to mark days and seasons on Day 4.
Bible Stumpers
Bible Trivia: Which Event Happened First?
The Bible is filled with memorable events, but remembering the order in which they occurred can be challenging.
For each pair of events below, decide which happened first, A or B, using what you already know from Scripture.
Some will be obvious. Others may surprise you.
1. Creation Order
A.
God creates the sun, moon, and stars to govern the day and night
B.
God causes the earth to sprout vegetation and fruit-bearing plants
2. Jacob’s Transformation
A.
Jacob bows seven times as he approaches his brother Esau
B.
Jacob’s name is changed to Israel after wrestling with a man until daybreak
Answer: B.
(Genesis 33:1–3); (Genesis 32:24–28)
Note: Jacob’s spiritual turning point occurs the night before his reconciliation with Esau.
3. The Mosaic Covenant
A.
God speaks the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai
B.
The people of Israel agree to everything in the covenant
Answer: B.
(Exodus 20:1–17); (Exodus 19:7–8)
Note: Israel agrees to the covenant before God speaks the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
4. The Wisdom of Solomon
A.
Solomon begins construction on the house of the LORD
B.
The LORD appears to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon and offers him whatever he asks
Answer: B.
(1 Kings 6:1); (1 Kings 3:5–15)
Note: Solomon’s God-given wisdom precedes and enables his building of the temple.
5. The Trials of the Exiles
A.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the fiery furnace
B.
Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den
Answer: A.
(Daniel 3:19–23); (Daniel 6:16)
Note: The furnace occurs under Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; the lions’ den takes place years later under Darius the Mede.
6. Resurrection Morning
A.
Mary Magdalene and the other women discover the stone rolled away from the tomb
B.
The disciples understand from Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead
Answer: A.
Note: John notes that even after seeing the empty tomb, the disciples did not yet understand the Scripture.
7. The Spread of the Gospel
A.
Stephen is martyred while calling upon the Lord Jesus
B.
Philip explains Isaiah to the Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Gaza
Answer: A.
(Acts 7:58–60); (Acts 8:26–35)
Note: Stephen’s death sparks the persecution that scatters believers, leading to Philip’s mission.
8. The End-Time Vision
A.
There is silence in heaven for about half an hour
B.
John sees “one like a son of man” walking among seven golden lampstands
Answer: B.
(Revelation 8:1); (Revelation 1:12–18)
Note: John’s vision of the risen Christ occurs at the opening of Revelation, while the silence follows the opening of the seventh seal.
9. Paul’s Missionary Journeys
A.
Paul is driven out of Thessalonica and sent away by night
B.
Paul spends eighteen months ministering in Corinth
Answer: A.
(Acts 17:1–10); (Acts 18:1–11)
Note: Paul visits Thessalonica earlier on his second missionary journey. After being forced to leave, he later arrives in Corinth, where he remains for eighteen months.
10. Two Scenes on the Sea
A.
James and John and the other disciples, including Thomas, are fishing through the night but catching nothing
B.
James and John are sitting in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets
Answer: B.
Note: The Gospels show James and John engaged in ordinary fishing work at different moments, first at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and later after His resurrection. Luke 5:1–11 records another fishing event involving them during Jesus’ ministry, describing a separate occasion from either of these scenes, and Thomas is not mentioned in Luke’s account.
Thanks for playing along. If any of these surprised you, we hope the answers lead you back to the passages and invite a closer look at the story of Scripture.
