John Oakes – Evidence for Christianity

If you believe that there are errors in our Greek and Hebrew texts, then how do you explain passages such as Psalm 12:6-7, Psalm 119:89, Matthew 24:35 and others that say it is perfect?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

[Editor’s note: The question below is a follow-up from a previous one in which the questioner is quite surprised that a faithful believer would agree that Christians do not have access to a perfect text of the Bible, to which I replied about the textual evidence for the great (but not perfect) reliability of the […]

Is it true that some of the names of Arab tribes in the Old Testament are anachronisms or simply false?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: In the thread below the author demonstrates that Israel’s idea of the Arabian tribes of the time was contradictory, and based on a 7th century BC understanding on how they worked. I’ll copy paste the comment here, but I implore you to read the entire thread. The question was “Where does the idea that […]

The biblical story of Lot’s daughters getting him drunk and having sex with him is borrowed from the Zoroastrian story of Jam and Jamag. Response?

John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Statement: The incest story of Lot and his daughters is borrowed from Zoroastrian traditions of the incest performed by Jam and Jamag, who were brother and sister. Jamag took advantage of the intoxicated state of her brother and had sex with him. What’s your response? Response: My response is that this is so obviously a […]

Why do Christians hypocritically reject the supposedly inspired Talmud of the Jews?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: According to Jews, many of the Torah’s laws are entirely meaningless without further elaboration. Therefore, some type of “Talmud” was taught to Moses at Sinai together with the written Torah. This is what we know as the Oral Law. Thus, the wisdom and debates of the Talmud, in all their diverseness and variety, may […]

In Genesis 18:21 God says, “if not, I will know.” Does this refute the idea of God’s omniscience?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: In Genesis 18:21 towards the ending of the verse, God says “if not, I will know” when concerning the people of Sodom’s sin. Also, in Genesis 18:21 “I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” Does […]

Prophets such as Isaiah added his own fantasies into God’s word, such as Isaiah 45:14 and 60:12, which clearly were never fulfilled.

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Authors of prophetic books added their fantasies into God’s word for e.g. 1) Gentiles will come over to Israelites in chains and they will bow down before them (Isa. 45:14). David Guzik affirms this in his commentary. 2) A Gentile nation or kingdom that will not serve Israelites will perish and be utterly ruined (Isa. 60:12). […]

Sermons in Merced by Dr. John Oakes Matthew IV Life in the Kingdom

John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, Jesus .

Dr. John Oakes is now leading a new church planting in Merced, California. Please join us 11:00 Sundays at 500 Buena Vista Ave., Merced or on zoom at 342-225-5971 pw 857096. Also, join us for midweek classes Wed. 7:30 at UC Merced Rm GLCR 130 or the same zoom. We will be posting notes, PPTs […]

How was God created? How long has he existed?

John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: How was God created or how long has he existed? What does “I am what I am” mean? Answer: This is one of the classic questions, both of skeptics of Christianity, but also from some believers. It is a response to what is known as the cosmological argument, which goes like this: Premise: All […]

Old Testament Survey by Dr. John Oakes

John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Archaeology, Articles, Bible Teaching, Creation, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Theology, World View .

Dr. John Oakes is teaching an Old Testament Survey course for the West Coast School of Ministry this Fall. He will be posting notes, power point and audio here. Old-Testament-Survey-Notes Old-Testament-Survey PPT OT Survey I Audio OT Survey II Audio OT Survey Audio III OT Survey Audio IV

Why do Jews and Christians have no manuscripts from before the exile, and why no copies of the Aramaic gospel from AD 30?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Versions of the Bible .

Question: My Muslim husband says: Why do Jews & Christians not have Hebrew manuscripts from before the Exile or 600 BCE which could verify that the DSS & Septuagint are exact copies of the original text? Why don’t Christians have the original Aramaic Gospel from 30 CE? Answer: Out of respect for the ancient text and […]

When and with whom was the pact that was made “with many” in Daniel 9:27?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I really enjoy the articles on the website. I was reading an article on Daniel at the website, and wanted to bring up a question about it regarding general Titus fulfilling v. 29 of Daniel chapter 9. If indeed it is more likely that it speaks about him, and the information we gather leads […]

If there were 12 tribes, how can one tribe represent all of Israel’s scriptures, when 10 tribes were lost to history. Is the OT the Bible of all the Israelites?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: There were 12 tribes of Israel, who were given divine scrolls. They were called “Israelites”. Then how can one tribe [Editor’s note: I am assuming the questioner means Judah] represent the whole Israelites and their scriptures when 10 tribes are lost in history and what is the guarantee that the current OT was the […]

True, Right, Better: A Defense of the Christian Worldview A New Book by Dr. John Oakes

John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Articles, Bible and Science, Creation, Other Religions, Philosophy, The Existence of God, Theology, World View .

Dr. John Oakes is excited to announce the publication of his new book, titled True, Right, Better: A Defense of the Christian Worldview. The book analyzes the various worldviews such as naturalism, postmodernism, pantheism, dualism, polytheism, deism, Islamic theism, Christian theism, existentialism, marxism and more through the lens of three questions. Is this worldview true–ie […]

The story of the origin of the Septuagint is a fiction. Besides, it was only the first five books, not the whole Old Testament. Your response?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Versions of the Bible .

Question: The only evidence of the Septuagint translation is the pseudepigraphical letter of Aristeas. It says: “six elders out of every tribe of Israel wrote it.” First, 10 tribes of Israelites had already been lost in history a long time ago, before this time, which shows that this story is fabricated. Second, if they wrote, […]

The four gospels are unreliable because they were written in Greek, but Jesus spoke in Aramaic. Besides, many early Christians denied the crucifixion. Response?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: My teacher says: The current Gospels are not reliable because they were written in Greek, whereas the language of Jesus and his followers was Aramaic. Christians don’t have manuscripts from 40 AD in Aramaic. Further, when Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE, his speech was translated from Roman to Aramaic. It means Greek/Latin was not […]

1 Samuel 15:22 says that God does not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices. Therefore, the idea of the crucifixion is bogus, as God would not ask Jesus to do this. Response?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: According to 1 Samuel 15:22, “Samuel said, Does the Lord take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearing the words of the Lord? behold, obedience better than a good sacrifice.” Therefore, the whole story of Jesus’ crucifixion is bogus and God didn’t order Jesus to do it. Your response? Answer: This statement is riddles […]

The assembly of the Jews nearly rejected the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Ezekiel because they contradicted the Law. They were presented as altered. Your response?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: We are told in the Talmud that an assembly of priests were about to reject the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Ezekiel because those writings were contradictory to the Law but a certain Rabbi had tried to reconcile them and they were preserved as “canonical”. Those three books are confessedly presented to us as […]

Jesus borrowed from II Esdras 1:30-33, making it inspired Scripture. Your response?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Jesus was also a borrower who copied text from the book of II Esdras 1:30-33 and presented it as an inspired word. “I gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But now, what shall I do to you? I will cast you out from my presence. When you offer oblations […]

St. Eucharius (3rd century) said that much of the Holy Scriptures were lost when the Chaldeans attacked the Jews. Is this true?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: St. Eucharius (3rd Century) said: “It is evident why we have not remaining the books which the Holy Scriptures approve of, because Judea having been ravaged by the Chaldeans, and the ancient bibliotheque being burnt. There remaining only a small number of the books which at present make up the Holy Scriptures and which were […]

There is a prophecy about Judas and Jesus in the Ethiopic Bible. Did the Jews remove this from the Old Testament?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

There is a short prophecy appended to the book of Jeremiah in Ethiopic Bible which August Dillmann translates: A Prophecy of Jeremiah. And Jeremiah spake thus unto Pashur: But ye all your days fight against the truth, with your fathers and your sons that shall come after you. And they shall commit a sin more damnable […]

Adam Clarke (1831) said that the Jews falsified the OT text again and again. Similarly, Chrysostom (4th century) said that the Jews lost some books through carelessness. Comment?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Adam Clarke (1831) wrote a commentary on Jeremiah 8:8 that: It is too bold an assertion to say that “the Jews have never falsified the sacred oracles;” they have done it again and again. They have written falsities when they knew they were such. John Chrysostom (4th Century) wrote in his homily on Matthew 2:23 that: The […]

The Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls has quite a large number of variations from the Masoretic text–as many as 2600. And that is just Isaiah. Does this not say the OT is poorly copied?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Although the Isaiah scroll [Editor’s comment: The questioner is referring to the Dead Sea Scrolls] is similar in structure to today’s book of Isaiah, it contains alternative spellings, scribal errors, corrections, and other variant readings. Strictly speaking, the number of textual variants is well over 2600, ranging from a single letter, sometimes one or […]

Why did Jesus not make an effort to stop the promulgation of the apocryphal or pseudepigraphal books?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Why did Jesus not make efforts to stop the promulgation of apocryphal/pseudepigraphal books, for e.g. the apocalypse of Enoch, apocryphon of Ezekiel, apocalypse of Zephaniah, etc.? Answer: A good question. At the time Jesus lived, these books were NOT considered part of the Jewish canon. They were non-canonical but popular spiritual books. Toward the […]

Why were the Christians at the time of Jesus such cowards that they did not defend him (compared to the very brave early Muslims)?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, History, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: If Jesus’ followers were thousands at the time of crucifixion, why did they not save him? They were such cowards who let their Prophet/Messiah beaten by the Romans. Muslims were far more brave, whose 15,000 men fought against the Byzantine Empire’s army of 140,000 in 636 CE and captured the Christian Levant. Why were […]

Christians met Muhammad in AD 632, called the mubahala, at which time Muhammad cursed the Christians. They withdrew. Was this because they feared the curse of Muhammad?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, History, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: I read that in the 7th century, Christians of Najran interacted with Muhammad in Medina. The event of the mubahala (mutual cursing) took place to resolve a theological dispute between Muslims and Christians circa 632 CE by invoking the curse of God upon liars. The Christian delegation withdrew from the challenge and negotiated a […]

What or who is the Ark of the Covenant in the New Testament. Is it Mary?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Church History, General, Q & A .

Question: What or who is the ark of covenant in New Testament? Catholics claim that Mary is the ark of the covenant because she carried God’s covenant in her body. What is your response? Answer: The Ark of the Covenant was the wooden box, covered with gold, that contained Aaron’s rod, a piece of manna, […]

Christians deliberately corrupted Isaiah 9:6 to make it support their doctrine. Your response?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Versions of the Bible .

Question: Christians deliberately corrupted the Jewish Scriptures to prove that Jesus is God, for e.g. they altered the translation of Isa. 9:6. They translate: “And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” but the Jewish translation is: “The wondrous adviser, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, called his name, “the prince of […]

Is it merely Christian bias that caused the Jews to reject Jesus and also for Christians to reject Muhammad?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: Jesus came to the Jews to show them the right path, which was unacceptable for them. The New Testament tells us that he brought the concept of “God’s Son” or “Human-God” which was not prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures. That’s the reason the majority of the Jews rejected him. Similarly, when Muhammad came to […]

In Ezekiel 38:17 it says that Israel’s prophets prophesied about Gog many times before. Who were these Israelite prophets that Ezekiel spoke about?

John Oakes wrote in End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Ezek. 38:17 mentions the Israelite prophets who prophesied about Gog, but no prophecy earlier than Ezekiel’s prophecy talks about Gog. Then who were those Israelite prophets and why did Ezekiel not name them? Answer: I do not know for sure what prophets Ezekiel is referring to. He does not tell us. However, it is […]

Are there any historians who write about Luke as a real person?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, History, Q & A .

Question: Are there any historians who write about Luke as a real person? Answer: Sure. There are many. Sir William Ramsay is one of the most famous to discuss Luke. Here is a quote about him: It is almost universally acknowledged that the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were written by the […]

Peter said (Acts 10:43) that all the prophets testified about Jesus, but what about Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Obadiah who did not talk about Jesus?

John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Why did Peter boast about Jesus that all the prophets testified about him (Acts 10:43) although they have a meagre record of 15-16 prophets and among them Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Obadiah not talk about Jesus? What is your response? Answer: My response is that all the true prophets of Jehovah did in fact prophesy about […]

Repent, Return, Restore Rebuild: A 10-part sermon series

John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, PowerPoints .

Dr. John Oakes just completed a ten-part sermon series from the Minor Prophets (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi) for the Merced Christian Church. The ppt, notes and audio are available here: RRRR I-X Notes RRRR I-X PPT Part I RRRR I-X PPT Part II RRRR I Audio RRRR II Audio […]

What is your response to the Jesus myth believers who claim that Paul believed Jesus was a celestial being who occupied a fleshly body?

John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I often hear Jesus Mythicists arguing that Paul believed Jesus was a celestial being who put on a body of flesh to be crucified by demonic powers in the heavens. Hence I ask: did Paul ever situate Jesus on earth? Answer: First of all, unless you make reference to an actual person who makes […]

What are your thoughts on the historicity of the biblical story of the Tower of Babel?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A .

Question: What are your thoughts on the tower of Babel; particularly on its historical reality? And also on the topic of the different languages? How should we interpret this? Answer: I believe that the Tower of Babel story is semi-historical. What I mean by this is that I believe that there was an actual city, […]

Does a person who does not know about Romans 6:1-7, but who was baptized need to be re-baptized?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I have a question regarding a man who was baptized in my local church for the forgiveness of his sins. We found out later that this man did not know about the passage in Romans 6:1-7 when he was baptized. How does this lack of knowledge of Romans 6:1-7 affect his baptism? Should this […]

Could Jesus have received a proper burial by the Jews, or would he, instead, have been tossed into an unmarked grave?

John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Could Jesus have received a proper burial by the Jews, rather than be tossed into an unmarked grave? Answer: The Jewish perspective is influenced by the passage Deuteronomy 21:23, which is referenced by Paul in Galatians 3:13 and possibly in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Here is the Deuteronomy 21:23 passage: (NIV) “If someone guilty of […]

Jeremiah 23:6 says that the Messiah will be called “The Lord Our Righteousness,” but Jesus was not called this. Therefore, he is not the Messiah. Response?

John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: Jer. 23:6 does not talk about Jesus because it says: “this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.” Jesus was never called by this name or title in his lifetime as New Testament depicted. What is your response? Answer: As they say, lack of evidence is not evidence of […]

Amos 9:15, Zechariah 8:23 and Haggai 2:23 are prophecies never fulfilled by the Jews. Your response?

John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Q & A, Types .

Question: Amos predicted that God will plant Jews in their own land, never again to be uprooted (Am. 9:15), but they were banished by Titus in 70 CE. Zechariah predicted that ten people from all nations will take firm hold of one Jew and say, Let us go with you, because we have heard that […]

If John the Baptist doubted Jesus in Matthew 11:3, does this contradict his being sure of Jesus in Matthew 3:14?

John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: If John the Baptist was sure that Jesus was a Messiah (Matt. 3:14), then why did he doubt him in the other place (Matt. 11:3)? Does that mean NT accounts have contradictions? Answer: This question has troubled me in the past as well. It seems surprising that John the Baptist was the prophesied “one […]

What does the Bible say about reincarnation?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A .

Question: What does the Bible say about reincarnation? Answer: That is an easy question. The Bible says nothing about reincarnation except to deny the reality of reincarnation. In fact, the Bible quite specifically, denies the reality of reincarnation. Hundreds of passages could be used to prove the biblical reality that after this life we die […]

Romans Class for the West Coast School of Ministry

John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, Theology .

Dr. John Oakes is teaching a class on the Book of Romans for the West Coast School of Ministry. We will make material available here. Romans Notes Romans PPT Romans Audio I Romans Audio II Romans Audio III Romans Audio IV Romans Audio V Romans Audio VI Romans […]

Class on John in Merced

John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, Jesus, Theology .

Dr. John Oakes is teaching a series of classes on the Book of John for campus students on a summer challenge in Merced June 12-18. Notes, PPT and audio will be available here. Gospel of John Notes John PPT John Audio I John Audio II John Audio III John Audio […]

Is there any scriptural evidence to support the speaking of tongues as it happens in Apostolic/Pentecostal churches today?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Miracles, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Is there any scripture evidence for the way that Apostolic/Pentecostal churches operate in tongues today? Is it biblical for people to gather and have many different people in the congregation speaking in tongues at the same time? Answer: Let me be honest with you. This is a debatable matter. I have a rather strong […]

Hosea had an illicit affair, Ezekiel used filthy language and Isaiah made false prophecies. Your response?

John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Dr. Oakes, After deep study of the prophetic books, I come to the conclusion that, on one hand, the Bible portrays opponents of Jeremiah & Ezekiel as false prophets and blames them for lying, adultery and wickedness and, on the other hand, its accepted prophets did the same things for e.g. Hosea had an […]

Please explain why Nahum (Nah 1:4-6) and Habakkuk (Hab 3:14-15) borrowed from Canaanite/Ugaritic descriptions of Baal.

John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I have a serious question about the Bible’s authenticity. Why did the biblical Prophets borrow characteristics from Canaanite/Ugaritic epic poetry and apply them to Yahweh? For e.g., Nahum (1:4-6) and Habakkuk (3:14-15) describe God as an avenging warrior God similar to Canaanite/Ugaritic storm god Baal. Your response? Answer: First of all, you say this […]

Razones Para Creer Reasons for Belief now available in Spanish

John Oakes wrote in Announcements, Apologetics, Apologetics, Archaeology, Articles, Bible and Science, Prophecy, Prophecy, Spanish Content .

The Spanish translation of Dr. John Oakes’ book Reasons for Belief, titled Razones Para Creer is now available in Spanish translation from Illuminations Publishers. IPI Books Here is the direct link to purchase the book: Razones Para Creer Please tell your friends, especially your Spanish-speaking friends about the availability of this book!

Is Assisted Reproductive Technology a morally acceptable way for a Christian to give birth?

John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: My question is about Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) In the case of a Christian married couple where the wife is said to be infertile, and doctor recommends ART. This means that the wife accepts a donor egg of which her husband’s sperm will be used to fertilize and eventually the embryo transferred to wife’s […]

The Christian Story Vol IV: Finding the Church in Church History published by Dr. John Oakes

John Oakes wrote in Announcements, Articles, Church History .

I am excited to announce that the last volume of my four-part book series on the history of Christianity is now available for purchase. The volume covers the First Great Awakening and the work of Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and George Whitefield, the Second Great Awakening and the rise of Evangelicalism, the Stone-Campbell Movement, Adventism, […]

Deuteronomy 18:15 is a prophecy of Muhammad, as is Isaiah 2:2-3 and Isaiah 42:4. Response?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: I read that: Deut. 18:15 is about Muhammad because he was similar to Moses, i.e. he brought law to, and war against non-believers, etc. The same is true of Isa. 2:2-3, which is about Mecca, not Zion, because millions of pilgrims visit Mecca but nothing like that happens at Jerusalem. Isa. 42:4 is not […]

Jesus failed to fulfill Micah 4:1-4 and Isaiah 11:6-9 because he did not bring peace and he did not become a king. Response?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Jesus failed to bring universal peace (Mic. 4:1-4; Isa. 11:6-9) because, after him, bloodshed occurred multiple times in Jerusalem. Former dominion was not restored nor was kingship established as predicted (Mic. 4:6-8). What’s your response? Answer: Jesus fulfilled Micah 4:1-4 word-for-word and in detail. He died to establish the Church, which is the Mountain […]