Question: Moses died presumably around 1410 BCE, and Malachi existed around 430 BCE. During this period of 1000 years, hundreds of prophets came to the Jews, but the Jews/Christians know only a few dozen Hebrew prophets. What’s the reason? Answer: The reason is that God decided that the most appropriate prophets through whom to speak […]
Question: Dr Oakes, can you view this article: https://quranandbibleblog.com/2022/01/02/what-did-the-ante-nicene-church-fathers-believe-about-jesus/ What did the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers Believe About Jesus? بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم What did the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers Believe About Jesus? Read as PDF “…but of His Son the Master said thus, Thou art My Son, I this day have begotten thee. A… quranandbibleblog.com This came […]
Question: How can I answer atheists and Muslim’s arguments like this: 1.) If Christianity is the truth, why there are so many sects and schisms? Imagine thinking you have the truth when you’re just a part of sub sect 26-times schism offshoot of another sect. Christianity has already changed from believing Jesus as a prophet […]
Question: I just had a thought… and it’s disturbing me… Outer space is so vast, there must be other life out there. Now… what are the odds that Jesus came to THIS planet, out of all of them? Why not others? Think about it. There are so many other planets out there, there must be […]
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 Thess 2 Paul’s Ministry Notes Combined Acts Sermons I – VI Acts Combined Sermons I – VI Notes Acts Combined Sermons […]
Question: Dr Oakes, can you view this article: https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/09/17/heres-how-we-know-the-canonical-gospels-were-originally-anonymous/ This came from a historical scholar it seems. She tried to refute an apologist regarding the gospel’s names and authors. But I found several of her interpretation are quite forced (Like the Mark verses she cited) and how she said Didache and Didascallia just got accepted without […]
Question: In the world of 1st century Palestine, a woman’s testimony was not recognized as legally binding BUT the Jesus resurrection account is built on the testimony of women. Does that mean it’s a hoax? Answer: Absolutely it does NOT mean that the gospel message is a hoax. Who said that? How sad is it […]
Question: If Jesus Crucifixion was so evident then why some early Christian sects denied it? Some said: Simon of Cyrene was crucified. Some said: Judas Iscariot was crucified. Some said: someone substituted him. What is your response? Answer: This is a flat-out, blatant lie. Plain and simple. There is absolutely no truth to this claim, […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon for the San Diego Church of Christ, Mission Region 4/24/22 from 2 Corinthians, which is a follow-up to his book In Christ. He did another version of the lesson in Culver City 5/15/22 In Christ the Veil is Removed NotesIn Christ the Veil Is Removed Audio In Christ […]
Question: Barabbas, who is also called “Jesus Barabbas”, was crucified instead of Jesus of Nazareth due to confusion created by God. What is your opinion? Answer: My opinion is that this is one of the most far-fetched and outrageous proposals about Jesus I have ever heard about. Jesus’ mother Mary was at the cross. Jesus’ […]
Question: Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi) explains Isaiah 53 except for the final two verses, as the “Words of the Other Nations”. These words are not Isaiah’s words. Evidently, this is recorded to understand the view of the Gentile Nations at that time. What is the Christian response? Answer: It should not surprise anyone that a […]
Question: My friend says: Josephus and Tacitus are not reliable sources of Jesus’ Crucifixion. They presented vague references based on rumours. NT authors had no ability to know what the truth was. What should be Christian reply? Answer: I think you had better find a more reliable source than this “friend” who says this rather […]
Question: Jesus had no traits of a King who would save Jews from their enemies as the OT prophets anticipated. Why are these prophecies fabricated? Answer: I assume that this criticism is coming from a Muslim source. You begin with an erroneous premise, which makes your question a nonsense question. I will share with you […]
Question: Is Israel God’s firsborn son (Exodus 4:22) or Jesus (Hebrews 1:6)? My understanding is it’s both but in different senses. Would this be correct? In what sense is Israel God’s firstborn? Is it in the sense that Israel was chosen among the nations? In what sense is Jesus God’s firstborn? Is it in the […]
Question: Did the prophet Daniel accept worship in Daniel 2:46? ‘Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.’ (Daniel 2:46) Answer: That is a good question. I can answer it in one of two ways. One way involves me […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon for the Lifeway region of the Los Angeles International Church of Christ 4/10/22. The lesson is a discussion of what it meant to be set apart for God in Christ, to be made holy/sanctified in Christ and to have the veil lifted in Christ, which leads to transformation, with […]
Question: There was no proper canon or collection of the writings of the Old Testament, until the time of the Synagogue under the Maccabees, which was only about 200 years before the appearance of Jesus. Up to this period, the “Holy books” were scattered and liable to be altered or amended just as priests might […]
Question: It is impossible for any part of God, even if incarnate, to decompose in any way and still be considered God. The everlasting, one God, in whole or in part, does not die, disintegrate, or decompose: ‘For I the Lord do not change.’ (Malachi 3:6). Did Paul invent God-Son concept to attract Romans? Answer: […]
Question: 1) The article ‘St Paul converted by epileptic fit, suggests BBC’ By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent and Jonathan Wynne-Jones https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1427916/St-Paul-converted-by-epileptic-fit-suggests-BBC.html?fb states ‘ ‘A documentary about St Paul has infuriated Christians by suggesting that the apostle’s conversion on the road to Damascus may have been caused by an epileptic fit’How would you respond to this claim?2) […]
Question: I asked on chabad.org this: How did Rabbis know that Isaiah 8:19-20 belongs to Beeri and Micah 3:12 to Uriah? Are there any other instances of anonymous prophecies in prophetic books? I got the following answer: “I could not find any other examples. There may be more, but I don’t know them and have […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a lesson 4/2/2022 at a Men’s Camp on the theme “Be Like Men.” I know… It is a bit corny, but the lesson was fun and a bit inspiring, so here it is: Running the Race PPT Running the Race Notes Run the Race Audio […]
Question: According to Midrash (Levit. Rabba 15), Hosea’s father, Beeri, was also a prophet, and fragments of his prophecies are preserved in Isa. 8:19-20. It means that works ascribed to well-known Prophets include anonymous portions. On the other hand, Megillah 15a says: when the name of a Prophet’s father is recorded, the latter, too, probably […]
Question: A Muslim friend proposed this to me: I have seen this “issue” before and I haven’t done a proper investigation into it. He said there’s no evidence to support Jesus’ divinity in the first century. I believe (although I am yet to see) that there is evidence of early Christians in first century honoring […]
Question: How would you respond to someone who asked whether Jesus was born again? If He wasn’t, what about His statement, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3)? What does it mean to be born again? And what is “circumcision of the […]
[Editor’s note: This is a series of challenges from a Muslim regarding Jesus to be the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecies. My answers are interspersed among the questioner’s examples in italics] Claim: There are many biblical prophecies which do not fit into Jesus, for e.g. Response: Whether Jesus fulfilled all potential messianic prophecies is […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a series of two classes on evidence for the reliability of the Bible for “The Temple Project,” an on-line program of the Boston Church of Christ March 19 and 26. The first class is on the reliability of the New and Old Testament texts and on the historical accuracy of […]
Question: How did Judaism form? I saw from Wikipedia that it formed from one of the Canaanite god’s called Yahweh? Is this true? I am skeptical of this notion. Answer: It is hard to prove unambiguously the path by which what we call Judaism was formed. The biblical evidence is that there were at least […]
Question: “Why did loving God create predators”? I heard many answers but all are non-sense! The most famous 2 answers are: 1- Predators are important for the ecosystem. The problem is that God is the one who created this ecosystem. He could create an ecosystem that doesn’t need predation. He could decrease fertility rate of […]
Question: In Matthew 26: 64 Jesus said: “From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” What did he mean by “from now”! Did Jesus really come on the clouds of heaven from the moment he said these […]
Question: What does it mean that Jesus is God’s only begotten son? Answer: The Bible does not call Jesus the “only begotten Son.” Not exactly. The Greek word which is translated in the KJV as “only begotten” is the word monogenes. The word monogenes means unique one or the one and only one. It is […]
Question: If Isaiah was the greatest prophet in Israelite history from David to the exile, why are his character and personal life not known to us? Same with Obadiah, Joel, Nahum who are obscure figures. Answer: I can tell you have been hearing from Muslim critics, as this is the latest “fad” criticism of the […]
Question: Could you explain what Romans 10:9 means? Obviously we can’t interpreted it in isolation or literally. There are many discussions and opinions on this verse. Answer: Whether we take Paul “literally” here or not depends on your definition of literally. Clearly, anyone–even a total heathen–can say the words “Jesus is Lord.” Simply mouthing the […]
Question: The theology of the Prophets before the exile had no place for the priestly blood sacrifice system. There was no atonement. The law of forgiveness worked directly and without any ritual. If Abraham, Moses, David, etc. were saved without sacrifice, it is hard to understand how blood sacrifice became necessary for salvation from the […]
Question: I want to ask you, sir, regarding the textual variation of Mark 6:3. Some early manuscripts said son of carpenter. Between “carpenter” or “son of carpenter”? This one was cited by a quote in Origen works (184-253), Against Celsus (248 AD), where Origen claimed that none of the Gospel on the current church said […]
Question: Is the penalty to every sin equal? If yes then why is it written in Matthew 10:15 that “truly I tell you it will be more tolerable on the day of judgement for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town”. So does it mean that the penalty of sin for that […]
Question: Sir, can you view this article: http://mquran.org/content/view/9181/16/ This comes from an anonymous Muslim apologist website written in 2006. He said that the New Testament is unreliable and the 99,5% number that Christian apologists used in their argument are not valid. He claimed that apologists just cite other apologists and only 50% of the gospel are […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a class on the History of Christian Hermeneutics at a conference titled “The Art of Scripture Reading in Orange County, CA this Thursday 2/24 at 2:00. It is still possible to register for in-person or on-line at ICOC Teachers Conference Notes, Power Point and, later audio are here: The […]
[Editor’s note: In this one the questions are interspersed, in italics, between the four questions] Questions: I have some points to discuss: 1. The Major and Minor Prophets of the Bible contain a significant amount of data from other persons, namely, editors and others whose words were added without acknowledgement. Those additions include materials such […]
Question: The NT authors fabricated stories about Jesus for e.g. (1) Overturning of the tables in the temple & chasing out the money changers (John 2:13-16); Were the gospel writers unaware of the sizeable temple police and Roman guards who were permanently stationed at the temple? Were the temple police & Roman guards unable to […]
Question: 1) Are Christians supposed to love everyone? Are Christians supposed to love the following: a) false prophets in general b) the false prophet mentioned in the book of Revelation c) the antichrist mentioned in the book of Revelation d) Satan 2) Does God love (or hate) a) false prophets b) the false prophet mentioned […]
Question: Paul said ‘Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.’ (Philippians 3:2) Why did Paul call his opponents here dogs? What is meant by dogs here? How should we understand the meaning here? Also, how would you explain to someone why it was appropriate […]
Question: I am Christian, but am also a very skeptical person. I always challenge what I believe for the sake of truth and if it is truth it will stand. I would like to ask about Isiah 7:14. There is a lot of discussion about the use of the word “almah“. Does it imply virginity […]
Question: Paul admitted that he’s a liar in 1 Cor. 9:19-22 for luring the Jews. He further testified that he’s a liar in 2 Cor. 12:16 where he used the word “trickery” (dolos in Greek), mainly used in bad sense. What’s the Christian response? Answer: This is a rather blatant misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. […]
Editor’s note: In this Q & A, I am interspersing the answers in italics among the four questions. 1) What does it mean to say Jesus is the ‘Messiah’ or ‘Christ’? What are some good Bible verses that show the meaning of the word ‘Messiah’ or ‘Christ’ when applied to Jesus? The Hebrew word for […]
Question: What is the Abrahamic covenant mentioned in Genesis 17:7, 17:13 and 17:19? What aspect of the Abrahamic covenant is everlasting? Why don’t Christians practice circumcision if the Abrahamic covenant is everlasting? Answer: I wish that this was a simple question with a simple answer. One difficulty here is that the Jewish concept of the […]
Question: How should we understand Ezekiel 23? How should we respond to a Muslim who states that this passage is pornographic (especially Ezekiel 23:19-21) and uses pornographic language? How should we respond to a Muslim if he challenges us to read this passage in a sermon or in front of a child? Are all parts […]
Question: Should Christians pray the imprecatory Psalms? [Editor’s note: The imprecatory Psalms are ones in which the Psalmist, usually David, calls on God to judge or to defeat his enemies. For example, look at Psalm 69 or 109.] Answer: Christians will have a range of responses to this. I believe that what we pray is […]
Question: I hope you can give me helpful answers for my questions. Is salvation unconditional love? What is God’s love like after baptism? Is it unconditional love? Do I still have obligations after baptism? Is it true that God will not love me if I don’t fulfill my obligations or if I do not grow? […]
Question: The Koran says the same things that God said to the Jews which the Major and Minor Prophets proclaimed. For e.g. 1) Hearts hardened (compare Quran 2:74 with Ezek. 3:7, Zech. 7:12) 2) Be Kind to orphans & don’t shed each other’s blood (compare Quran 2:83-84 with Isa. 1:17, 59:7) What is the Christian’s […]
Question: 1. When Peter said about Jesus “You are the son of the living God” what did he mean? Did the disciples know about the trinity at that time? 2. When did the disciples firmly believe Jesus was God? Might the disciples have held a basic understanding of Jesus as a God but not confirmed […]
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