There is a video of a riot in Egypt.  It shows what is said to be one of the four horsemen.  Do you think this is what it is?

Sincerely,
Tally Ho

Dear Tally Ho,

No, because the horsemen aren’t literal horses and riders.  The horsemen you are referring to can be found in Rev 6:1-8.  The book of Revelation is a book that uses symbolic language to describe the persecution that was quickly coming upon the first-century christians (Rev 1:1-3).  The apostle John said the events were “at hand” and “shortly to come to pass”.  The book of Revelation deals with the Roman persecution of the church – not the end of the world.  Many authors, bloggers, writers, etc. have attempted to commandeer the verses in Revelation for their own purposes – mostly because it is sensational to talk about dragons, cherubim, cups of wrath, etc.  It may be sensational, but it isn’t biblical to take things out of context.  This video you mentioned has nothing to do with the Bible’s real teachings.

How was Satan created?  Did God create him?  If so, why?

Sincerely,
Origin Of Species

Dear Origin Of Species,

The Bible never specifically tells us when or how Satan was created, so anything we tell you is merely a best guess.  Here is how the logic goes:

1. God created everything, both visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly (Col 1:16).
2. If God created everything, He must have created Satan.
3. Everything God made was originally good, and God wouldn’t create something bad (Gen 1:31).
4. Satan must have originally been created good.
5. We know that, at some point, there were some angels that sinned and rebelled against God (2 Pet 2:4).
6. Maybe Satan was one of those angels (this is where the information gets sketchy).

In short, we don’t know much… but that is many Bible scholars’ best guess.

Please explain Mathew 9:16.

Sincerely,
Seamstress

Dear Seamstress,

Jesus used the analogy of new wine being put into old wineskins and unshrunk cloth on a pre-shrunk garment to illustrate the fact that He was ushering in a new era – the Christian era.  New wine is unfermented grape juice, which would cause the old, worn out wineskin to burst when the new wine began to ferment.  The Jews wanted to keep their old ways of life, and Jesus told them that if they accepted His teachings, their old lives wouldn’t work anymore.  The whole conversation began when John’s disciples asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t fast, even though they and the Pharisees did (Matt 9:14).  Jesus explained that He, the great Savior and bridegroom of Israel, had come… the old days were over, and a new era had begun (Matt 9:15).

I have seen a lot of “new” Bible versions lately, and it has me very worried. A person I know has been encouraging me to read the New Age Bible Version (NABV).  I have always read the King James Version and used other versions for comparison only.  Should I be mistrustful of this New Age Bible Version?

Sincerely,
Tried And True

Dear Tried And True,

There are two things to consider when choosing a Bible translation:

1. Accuracy
2. Readability

As you may have noticed, the easier a translation is to read, the less accurate it becomes – and the more accurate a translation is, the more difficulty you will have in reading it.  The key is to find the right balance between readability and accuracy.  There are three types of translations: word-for-word translations, thought-for-thought translations, and paraphrase translations.

Paraphrase translations don’t even attempt to be accurate; all they want to do is make the Bible easy to read.  We never recommend a paraphrase translation.

Thought-for-thought translations try and take the original language and translate it using what the translators think is the same idea or concept that the Greek and Hebrew languages were trying to convey.  The NRSV, NIRV, and TNIV are all though-for-thought translations.  The NIV (currently the most popular version) is a mix between a word-for-word and a thought-for-thought – we have a lengthy article on the NIV translation that will give you more insight into that particular translation (click here to go to that post).  Thought-for-thought translations are better than paraphrasing, but they still remove the exact words of Jesus and His apostles and replace them with someone’s best guess at what they might have said if they had spoken in English.

Last, but not least, we have word-for-word translations.  Word-for-word translations are exactly what they sound like – they do their best to directly translate every word from the Greek and Hebrew into English.  There are currently four major word-for-word translations available: King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), American Standard Version (ASV), and New American Standard Version (NASB).  God tells us that every word was directly conveyed from God to the original Bible writers (1 Cor 2:13).  Since God made a point of divinely inspiring every word of the Bible, we here at AYP only feel comfortable using a translation that keeps those words intact.  Personally, we find the NASB and NKJV to be very readable and highly accurate.  Having read the New Testament in both the Greek and English (a couple of our AYP writers can read Koine Greek), we have found those two versions to be very sound.

To sum up, if you really want to make sure you are reading what God authored, make sure to ask for a word-for-word translation.

Who is the devil?  Why was he cast out of heaven?  What day did he leave heaven?

Sincerely,
Demonic Double-check

Dear Demonic Double-check,

The Bible doesn’t give us much information on the devil’s origins, and since the Bible is vague, we must also be vague.  The Bible says that certain angels sinned against God and were cast down and reserved for judgment (1 Pet 2:4).  The Bible never specifically mentions the devil as part of that crew of angels, but this may refer to him as well.  The Bible says that the devil is the father of lies and murder (Jhn 8:44).  The devil was cast out of heaven by God because the devil rebelled against God and sinned.  Beyond that, we have very little information.  We know that Jesus bound Satan when Jesus came to earth (Mk 3:22-27), and Jesus’ sacrifice cast him out of heaven (Rev 12:7-11).  We also know that the devil will eventually be cast into the fires of hell with his angels (Matt 25:41).

Are Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:12-13 really referring to Satan?

Sincerely,
Reference Research

Dear Reference Research,

Neither verse is talking about Satan.  The King James Version uses the word ‘Lucifer’ in Isa:14:12, and that has created some confusion because people often associate that name with Satan.  Most other translations use the words ‘Morning Star’.  The verse isn’t talking about Satan; it is talking about the Babylonian king (Isa 14:4).  In Ezek 28:12-13, God is talking about the fall of Tyre and His judgment against the city of Tyre’s king.  The key to understanding any verse is to keep it in its context.  Both of those verses are couched within chapters that discuss the destruction of physical kings and their kingdoms.