5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

In Exodus 7:10, it says that Aaron's staff turned into a snake.  I have heard that in the Hebrew language, the word they used for what his staff turned into translates into crocodile.  Have you heard of this?  Does the Bible contain many of these mistranslations?

Sincerely,
Editor-In-Chief

Dear Editor-In-Chief,

The Hebrew word you are referring to is ‘tanniyn’ and it means snake or serpent.  Depending on the context, the word ‘tanniyn’ can be used for a sea serpent/beast, dragon, dinosaur, or snake.  Ex 7:10 isn’t mistranslated; it is appropriately translated using the context of the surrounding verses.

People often hear these stories of the Bible being mistranslated, but it is important to remember that every Greek and Hebrew scholar on the planet is constantly searching the Bible and studying Its translation.  If there were an error, half a dozen translators would scream, “Foul!” within five seconds.  The Bible translation has stood up to rigorous academic scrutiny from atheist and religious alike.  Ex. 7:10 is a perfectly acceptable translation from the original Hebrew.

Matthew 12:40 says, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

My question is how can Jesus Christ have died on a Friday and rose from the dead on a Sunday?  That's not three days and three night.

Sincerely,
Doing The Math

Dear Doing The Math,

Jesus was technically buried for only one full day (Saturday) and part of two other days (Friday and Sunday), but when talking in common language, we would say that He was buried three days – because we round numbers when speaking about time.  In fact, the habit of counting part of a day as a full day is found throughout the Scriptures as a common way of talking.  Here are some examples:

1. Esther said that she would fast for three days and nights before approaching the king… but she went to see the king on the third day (Esther 4:15-17, Esther 5:1).

2. A sick and famished Egyptian said that he had gone without food for three days and three nights… but it was the third day when he told his story to David (1 Sam 30:12-13).

3. Joseph kept his brothers in prison for three days (Gen 42:17), but he also let them out on day three (Gen 42:18).

4. The Jews were camped against Syria for seven days before attacking, but the Scriptures say they attacked on the seventh day (1 Kgs 20:29).

Each of those examples points out that when Jesus was speaking about being in the heart of the earth for three days and nights, He was talking in a way that made sense to every Jew.  He wasn’t being technical about the length of His burial (it didn’t have to be literally 72 hours, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds), but He was rounding up for clarity… just like we do today.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

     I love someone who has the same gender as me, and we're both Christians.  Is this wrong?  We love God above all.  Our preacher preached about this and made me scared because I do not want to go to hell, neither does my partner.  I do not want her to be in any trouble.  I love her so much, and I do not want to let her go.  Please help me.  Is loving someone the same gender as yours a sin?  Help me please.

Sincerely,
In Love

Dear In Love,

Homosexuality is definitely a sin (Rom 1:26-27).  Any sexual activity outside of God’s plan for marriage is fornication.  Homosexual behavior, pre-marital sex, adultery, etc. are all sinful and Jesus condemned them all when He taught the right way for men and women to behave.  God doesn’t force anyone to act upon same-sex attractions, just like God doesn’t force an alcoholic to the bottle or a wrathful husband to strike his wife.  How we act is a choice, not a genetic equation.  There is a lot of debate over why some people have same-sex attractions, but at the end of the day, your temptations need to be mastered.  When Cain was angry, God told Cain to rule over sin or it would devour him (Gen 4:7).  Same-sex attractions are a temptation that stems from within a person, just like anger, unhealthy opposite-sex attractions, and a thousand other temptations (Jas 1:13-14).  The key is that there is always a way of escape from those unhealthy desires (1 Cor 10:13).  You and this other woman need to flee the fornication of homosexuality (1 Cor 6:18).