Dr. John Oakes is giving a three week, six-hour class on the History of Christianity, both in-person and on-line on three consecutive Saturdays, beginning Jan. 29 at 9:00 Pacific Standard Time. He recently completed the fourth and final volume of his series on Church History, which is a good time to be teaching this mini-class. […]
Question: I’ve written questions to you before about Jeremiah. I’m now studying Daniel and have found questions regarding the language. Daniel is written in Aramaic and Hebrew. There are different arguments about the Aramaic. Some say it is quite young – 300BC and later. Others claim it is much older. The Hebrew I think is […]
Question: Why do writers of the Bible blend God’s words i.e. “thus says the Lord” with human words such as speeches and human histories? Answer: A good question. The Bible has several different genres of literature, depending on what God is trying to accomplish. Sometimes he wants to simply speak to us directly. Then he […]
John Oakes is now preaching regularly for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. We will be posting all of his sermons here. Services are now live streamed Sundays at 1:00 at www.bakersfieldchurchofchrist.com. 1/13 You can trust and understand the Bible Notes Trust and understand PPT Trust and Understand Bible Audio 1/9/ Ps 119 All […]
Questions: 1. How do you respond to the argument that even Christianity is ultimately deed-based? In other words, even if we believed Jesus Christ, got baptized, a believer must keep his moral character and should maintain the discipline in order to inherit the eternal life in heaven. Even if someone believed in Jesus Christ and […]
Question: This person claims that there have been entire books removed from the bible. https://quranicwarners.org/gospel They all seem legitimate. What’s your opinion? Answer: It is hard to know exactly how to respond to this article, because the author is not specific as to which “entire books” were removed from the Bible. If he does not specify […]
Question: Biblically, is it a sin to not remember and keep the 7th day Sabbath set apart? If not, then why would the remaining commandments still be binding for believers in Messiah such as: you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not bear false witnes, etc. For example in Revelation 21 […]
Question: I have heard apologists say that the oldest manuscript of the Odyssey of Homer is from 2200 years after it was written. I am preparing to teach a class on the reliability of the Bible in which I want to make the point that the biblical manuscripts are more reliable than any other famous […]
Question: This is in regards to your article about religious exemption for the vaccine. Is witchcraft allowed by God’s people? What is the Greek root words for pharmacy? I believe it’s pharmacopa which is basically witchcraft so I believe there are verses that support not taking it based on your faith. .. do you agree […]
Question: What will be my fate if I die without being baptized? Paul says in Acts 16:31 believe in Lord Jesus you and your household and you will be saved. But if we die without being baptized despite believing in Jesus will we not enter heaven? Jesus came down to die for our sins and […]
Question: I have questions related to baptism that are always making me question my faith. Is baptism necessary for entering the kingdom of God?Many say the answer is yes based on what Jesus said in John 3:5. What happens to people who sin even after baptism? Will they be forgiven? And if Jesus was sinless […]
Dr, John Oakes has a new book, just published by Illumination Publishers. The title is Speaking of God. It is now available at https://www.ipibooks.com/collections/all/products/speaking-of-god The book is a how-to on leading group Bible studies, as well as seventy ready-to-go group Bible study outlines. It is available today. Tell a friend.
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of three sermons from the Book of Job for the Bakersfield Church of Christ December, 2021. Notes, PPT and audio are included. Job: The Problem of Suffering I Notes Job and Suffering I PPT Job Suffering I Audio Job and Suffering II Notes Job and Suffering […]
Question During the period of the divided Kingdom of Israel, who were the priests who administered the Temple in Judah? I understand that the tribe of Levite was part of the northern Kingdom of Israel. Thank you. Answer: If you look in the Book of Joshua, you will see that the Levites were not given […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a five-part class on the Book of Daniel for students in Bakersfield, CA in January and February. Notes, PPT and audio are included. Daniel Notes Daniel PPT Daniel Audio 1
Question: Is there any archaeological evidence verifying the event of an angel killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, which was written in 2 kings 19? I think a mass discovery of 185,000 dead bodies would be overwhelming. Answer: The answer is yes and no. Let me explain. The specific thing you are looking for has not been […]
Question: Why should we pray to God when he knows what we need and if he answers in his time and in his way? Also, if God is an all-knowing God he would definitely know that Job would not lose his faith in him. Then why did he allow Job to be tested? Answer: We […]
Recently, a friend who is a minister in a Christian church was approached by a few members of his church to sign a request for a religious exemption from getting the vaccination for the Coronavirus. He asked me to express my opinion about whether he ought to grant such a request. Below is an edited […]
[Note: This is a series of three questions, all on a related topic. The answers are interspersed between the questions.] Question: I want to ask you about John 6:57. What do you think Jesus meant by the words “I live because of Father.” ? Answer: This is an interesting question. To be honest, I had […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of sermons from the Book of Psalms in Bakersfield Nov. 2021 to Feb 2022. Psalm 51 A Clean Heart Notes Psalm 51 PPT Ps 51 Clean Heart Audio Psalms of Asaph Psalms of Asaph PPT Psalms 73 74 Audio Psalm 42 All In […]
Question: How can I be sure of life after death when we don’t see it nor we don’t have people who return and tell. So is life after death only a fanciful creation of believers for sake of not being afraid of death or is it for sure that it exists? Besides, Stephen Hawking said […]
Question: I want to ask you about John 6:57. What do you think Jesus meant by the words “I live because of Father”? Answer: This is an interesting question. To be honest, I had never looked carefully at this verse. It is an interesting statement by Jesus that he lives because of the Father. Jesus […]
Question: Recently Dr. William Lane Craig published his book called ‘In Quest of the Historical Adam’ he also mentioned you in his podcast https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS9mZWVkcy9yZWFzb25hYmxlX2ZhaXRoLnhtbA/episode/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS9yZWFzb25hYmxlX2ZhaXRoLzgxNjMzMTkyL3JlYWN0aW9ucy1iZWdpbi1vbi1oaXN0b3JpY2FsLWFkYW0tYm9vay8 What do you think of his thoughts and what he said there? Answer: I love this article and am glad you found a reference to myself by Dr. Craig. This was […]
Question: I find it difficult to reconcile the relationship between God’s foreknowledge and man’s freewill. How could God foretell one is going to drink coffee or tea if man has free choice or predict the winner of two evenly matched basketball teams assuming He does not manipulate the game. For the same rationale, how did […]
Dr. John Oakes gave an evangelistic presentation for the LA Church of Christ on Saturday, Sept. 4 jn West Covina, CA. Unfortunately, only the second lesson got recorded? PPTs, notes and audio are here: Who Is Jesus PPT Who was Jesus Notes Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up PPT Will the Real Jesus […]
Question: Why did Moses give Pharaoh the impression the children of Israel would only go to wilderness to worship 3 days then return? Was He lying? Did God participate in this by commission or by omission? Answer: I had to think about this one for a while. To be honest, I am not absolutely sure […]
Question: Is it fair to say that the sacrifices in the Old Testament never took away sins, as Hebrews 10:4 says, but rather held back the consequences of it until Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice to finally atone for sins? Answer: This is not exactly how I would put it, but it is pretty […]
Question: In the seven letters that Paul clearly wrote, did he write that Jesus is God? In other words, did he teach that God existed in the form of three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Can you give me verses for this? Answer: To be honest, I do not want to answer this question. […]
Question: I wish to bring up some issues regarding neuroscience. I was watching something on television about a man who suffered very serious brain injury. He survived, but his personality and behavior were completely different. Even his friends and loved ones said he was a totally different person. Does this prove that behavior really is […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a number of sermons on the Book of Isaiah for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. I am attaching the combined powerpoint and combined notes for the eight sermons, as well as the audio. Isaiah Sermons combined Notes Isaiah Sermons Combined PPT Isaiah Sermon I Audio Isaiah Sermon II […]
Question: Recently an unbeliever raised an objection against the reliability of the biblical accounts, he said that the account of Moses in which he was placed in a basket on the river by his mother had been a copy of the biography of Sargon of Akkad, a Mesopotamian monarch around 2400 BC. The account of […]
Question: How do you view Isaiah 19:18-24? It seems that the prophecy has not been accomplished yet from my understanding of the scripture. I’ve seen some commentaries claiming that Assyria and Egypt unification is more related to Christianity and that the Coptic and Syriac churches united as one in fellowship with our Lord. Could there […]
Question: What are your thoughts on the Passion Translation of the Bible, accuracy, etc.? I was reading some information online and unsure about sources. Answer: The Passion Translation is not really a translation, at least not in the classic sense. It is more of an interpretation. It is not done by a university-trained biblical scholar. […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a six-part class on the Book of Isaiah for the Church of Christ in Sao Paulo, Brazil September and October, 2021. The classes will be live on zoom Wednesdays at 4:00 Pacific Time address http://www.icisp.org.br/estudoBiblia Power point and audio recordings are here: Isaías – Brazil PPT Isaiah Sao Paulo Audio I […]
Questions: The NT authors manufactured prophecies about Jesus by twisting OT passages out of context to make them say things the original authors never intended. For e.g. (1) The murder of children by King Herod was not prophesied in Jeremiah 31:15 because Jeremiah was describing the deportation of Israelites from Ramah a century before his […]
Question: If the Law (Heb. Torah) was abolished or nailed to cross then why in the New Covenant does God put His Torah within us and write it upon our hearts? Answer: I assume you are referring to Colossians 2:13-14. “He forgave our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against […]
Question: What is the book of Ecclesiastes all about? I read it once- it seems pessimistic and hopeless- though the last of the12th chapter is a bit okay. There it’s written nothing makes sense- life is all about eating and drinking and everything is nonsense and meaningless. The message of Ecclesiastes seems utterly different from […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a four-part series on the Book of Revelation in Spanish for Iglesia de Cristo de Guadelajara. Power point and autio are being posted here Apocalypsis ESPAÑOL PPT Apocalypsis Guadalajara Audio 1 Apocalypsis Guad II Apocalypsis III Dr. John Oakes is doing a six-part series of classes on […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a lecture in which he provided logical arguments for the existence of a supernatural Creator/God at Bakersfield College 9/23/2021. Existence of God Notes Existence of God PPT Existence of God Audio
Question: Jesus will NOT be man of peace when he will come again according to Bible. For example Jesus will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:8), Jesus will fight a battle against God’s enemies (Zechariah 14). Christians should not blame Muhammad when their Messiah will […]
[Editor’s Note: Ravi Zacharias is a well-known apologist who died recently. After his death it was revealed that he had inappropriate sexual behavior. This is not just a rumor and it has been an embarrassment to Christians, which prompts this question] Question: If Jesus couldn’t prevent Ravi Zecharias from sexual misconduct, how shall he save […]
Question: In the Bhagavad Gita there is the story about Putana being sent to kill Krishna, which seems very similar to the story of King Harold of the Bible being sent to kill Jesus. Could the Bible have derived this story from Bhagavad Gita, or the other way around? You also have mentioned that Bhagavad […]
[Editor’s note: By coincidence, two questions about consciousness arrived on the same day. I am including both Q & As below] Question: Is consciousness immaterial? Answer: Yes, consciousness is immaterial. How could self-awareness be a physical thing? It is a sort of epiphenomenon. There may be brain activities associated with consciousness, but it is hard […]
[Editor’s note: This question is part of a series which are a believer passing along criticisms of Christianity from his Muslim friend] Question: My Muslim friend replied to me about your points that: 1) If presumably Daniel or Ezekiel talked about an earlier event, it doesn’t mean that whole book is reliable. Unless scrolls of […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a series of classes for the Sacramento Metro Church of Christ 7/9-11/21. Notes, power points and audio are here: Problem of Suffering PPT Pain and Suffering Audio Problem of Pain Notes Hebrews Audio I Hebrews Audio II Hebrews Notes Hebrews Living by Faith […]
Question: Is the doctrine of once saved, forever saved true? Are those who “fall away” not the true disciples from the beginning? Answer: Once saved, always saved, also known as “perseverance of the saints,” is a false doctrine that was created in the sixteenth century by the likes of Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin and […]
Question: Why did God send an evil spirit to torment king Saul? Answer: This is a tough question. It can be hard to square our understanding of God as a loving father with biblical statements that God allows people to be overcome by evil. I would explain this by pointing out that there are a […]
Question: Muslims says: Quran was written down in its entirety at the time of Muhammad’s death and the Sira (prophetic biography) of Muhammad lists the names of 17 scribes of the Quran. By distinction, the prophetic books of OT were posthumous writings and scribes are not even named. What happened to prophetic scrolls during Exile? […]
Question: Muslims say the Bible cannot be God’s word because it contains many cheap things unlike Qur’an for e.g. (1) God ordered Isaiah to be naked (Isa. 20:2) (2) The language of sexually morbid man used in Ezekiel 16 & 23 where it talks about large genitals, breast fondling of women and emission of men. Do […]
Question: My Muslim friend says: There were a number of oracles delivered by recognized prophets which did not come true. For example, Ezekiel predicted the destruction of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 26:7-14), but he himself later acknowledges that the king’s siege of the city was UNSUCCESSFUL (Ezek. 29:17-20). Both Haggai’s (2:21-23) & Zechariah’s (4:6-7) glorious […]
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