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The location of the Garden of Eden -

The original home of Adam and Eve, from where they were cast out by God, remains one of the mysterious locations in the Bible.

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The location of the Garden of Eden -

It is true that the whole story can be interpreted as a metaphor, but what if one interprets it literally? Where would the Garden of Eden be located, after all? We can find some hints in Genesis 2.

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The location of the Garden of Eden -

Genesis 2:10 says that, “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers” (the specific wording depends on the Bible translation). And then it mentions their names: Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (the Tigris), and Phirat (the Euphrates).

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The location of the Garden of Eden -

This hint has led to speculations that the Garden of Eden was located either in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Kuwait), or modern-day Turkey or Armenia. Though the specific location has, thus far, not been located.

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There are two creation stories - In Genesis 1, God creates male and female at the same time. But then, in the very next chapter, Genesis 2, God created a woman from a man’s rib.

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There are two creation stories -

Not only that, but even God himself is described as having two different names: Elohim in the first account, and YHWH in the second.

Metaphorical interpretation aside, there are indeed two different versions of the creation story. Sure, these may have been an editorial mistake when putting the Bible together, but still, which story should we trust and why?

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Who were the "sons of God?" -

Genesis 6:2 says that, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” So who were these “sons of God,” after all?

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Who were the "sons of God?" -

There are various interpretations of who the "sons of God" were. Some theories point to fallen angels, while others say they might be the descendants of Seth (one of Adam and Eve's children). The Bible, however, doesn’t really tell us who they were for sure.

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What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant? -

The Ark of the Covenant, which is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, contains the Ten Commandments tablets. But whatever happened to such an important piece of Biblical history?

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What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant? -

There is a theory that the Ark ended up in Ethiopia and it’s in Aksum today, where it’s guarded by a monk. Other theories point to the Ark being hidden somewhere beneath Jerusalem. To this day, no one has found it.

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Who is Lucifer? -

He’s Satan, right? Well, there’s more to it, actually. Isaiah 14:12-17 mentions the story of Lucifer, however, you won’t find any connection to Satan or the Devil. Just that he’s a fallen angel who was cast down to earth by God for wanting to be above him.

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Who is Lucifer? -

But then Luke 10:18-20 mentions Satan falling "like lightning from heaven." So, yes, it seems like Lucifer and Satan fell down from heaven, but are they the same? It is possible that the connection between the two was made after the Bible was written.

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Who is Lucifer? -

So, who is Lucifer, after all? Some theories point to the hypothesis that Lucifer was a reference to a Babylonian ruler. Another theory says that Lucifer was simply the Latin word for “morning star,” but the truth is that no one knows for sure.

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What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus? -

Not much is documented in the Bible about Jesus’ so-called "lost years." So what was Jesus up to between the ages of 12 and 30, after all?

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What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus? -

Some theories say Jesus stayed in Nazareth, while others say he went to study elsewhere. Locations range from Alexandria, in Egypt, to India.

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What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus? -

It is possible that Jesus studied with the Jewish mystic group the Essenes, or that he traveled as far as Britain with his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, who was a tin trader. The truth is that there is no solid evidence of any of these hypotheses.

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How did humanity multiply? -

Okay, so Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and went on to have babies. But then for humans to multiply they had to intermarry, right? After all, there were no other humans around.

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How did humanity multiply? - Not only does it sound wrong, but scientifically speaking this wouldn’t have worked out. We need genetic diversity to thrive as healthy humans. So what gives?

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How did humanity multiply? -

Well, one theory says that God either prevented genetic disorders that would likely happen from incestuous relationships, or that, indeed, he created more than two humans.

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What happened to the lost tribes of Israel? -

Both the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah were formed by 12 tribes of Hebrew people. While there is historical evidence of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (which formed the Kingdom of Judah and are considered the ancestors of modern Jews), the remaining 10 tribes are not well documented.

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What happened to the lost tribes of Israel? -

The tribes were reportedly overtaken by Assyria and exiled from the Kingdom of Israel. But where did they go? Some theories say they traveled to Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, Ethiopia, and even as far as Asia and North America.

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What happened to the lost tribes of Israel? -

It is also possible that they merged with other non-Hebraic cultures and their traditions faded away over the years. Despite all the theories, no one knows for sure what happened to the lost tribes of Israel.

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Where is Noah’s Ark? -

It is true that the Great Flood might have happened (though not on a global scale as the Bible mentions). But if Noah’s Ark did, too, what happened to it?

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Where is Noah’s Ark? -

Over the years, numerous theories have emerged, and 'evidence' has been found, though none was robust enough or indeed conclusive.

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Where is Noah’s Ark? -

One example includes wooden fragments discovered on Turkey's Mount Ararat. Being made of wood, it’s very possible that if the Ark ever existed, it rotted and disappeared over the years.

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What happened to Enoch and Elijah? -

The Bible says that Enoch (the father of the 969-year-old Methuselah), one of the 'two witnesses,' "walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." But what does that mean? Did he die? Did he join God in heaven?

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What happened to Enoch and Elijah? -

According to Kings 2 2:1, Elijah, the other witness, who was a prophet, “Went up by a whirlwind into heaven” in a chariot of fire. If indeed this was a description of his death, why did he ascend to heaven? He was a man, after all.

Sources: (Grunge)

See also: Can these be the lost books of the Bible?

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