Questions: I’m not being able to protect my faith because of Muslims and they are telling that the Bible I hold in my hand is corrupted and the original manuscripts are lost. They showed me the video of a debate of Micheal licona a Christian apologist and Shabir Ally who is a Muslim apologist. They […]
Question: Can I be saved just by choosing Jesus as my savior, asking for forgiveness and repenting of my sins? Answer: The best thing I can do for you is point you to the first gospel sermon ever preached. Surely the means of salvation was clearly laid out in this essential sermon. After preaching about […]
Question: I have a question concerning the kings of Syria as mentioned in Isaiah 7:1, it identifies the kings Uzziah, Pekah,and Rezin. Do we have evidence for these three kings? My special concern is for Rezin, the king of Syria. Do we have evidence for Rezin as a Syrian King? Alexander: Yes we do. He […]
Question: I always get confused and I’m also asked by skeptics regarding the first miracle of Jesus and he selecting his apostles. If we read the Synoptics they say that after being baptized Jesus went to wilderness and was tempted by the devil, rejected at Nazareth in a synagogue and then he selected his apostles […]
[Editor’s note: The questioner is from India and is attempting to respond to unsubstantiated claims that Judaism and/or Christianity have ideas substantially borrowed from Hinduism] Question: 1.Is it true that the Phoenicians traveled to India and brought some arts and ideas of Hinduism and conveyed them back to Palestine where they had influence on Judaism […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a 12-hour class on Church History for campus interns in Bakersfield, California 7/24-25/2020. Notes, power point and audio are available here: Church History PPT church history notes Part I Church History Notes II Ch Hist Audio 1 Ch Hist Audio 2 Ch Hist Audio 3 Ch Hist Audio 4 […]
[Editor’s note: This question involves a personal Bible study which has been used in the International Churches of Christ called the “kingdom study.”] Question: I’ve been writing an article for my blog, theWitheredFigTree.com, about the Kingdom-related prophecies in Daniel. In the process of researching this, I found several articles on the web about the authorship […]
[Editor’s note: the one asking this question did some follow-up research, finding his own really useful additional information on what Nebuchadnezzar did to fulfill the prophecies in Ezekiel and Jeremiah. His additional information is at the end of my original response.] Question: I want to ask some things relating to some answers you’ve given on […]
Question: Bible says that the disciple whom Jesus loves was at the cross. But it doesn’t specifically mention the name so how do we know that it’s John?And some of my friends who are Christians and pastors also say that Islam came before Christianity because of Ishmael. They say that Ishmael traveled to Arabia with […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on Christian theology. The class covered topics such as Trinity, the qualities of God, the problems of evil and suffering, theodicy, predestination, heaven and more. The class is now completed. Here are the notes, PPT, audio and link to the video. God: Christian Theology PPT God–Christian […]
Question: How can we reconcile the account of Jesus’ anointing at Bethany near the end of his life? Where, when and by whom was Jesus anointed?Was is at a Pharisee’s house as said by Luke, at the house of Simon the leaper, as said by Matthew and Mark, or was it at the house of […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a three-part series of classes on the biblical Book of Daniel for the Greater Houston Church of Christ. Notes, Power Point and audio are available here. Daniel Notes Daniel PPT Daniel Audio 1 Daniel Audio 2 Daniel Audio 3 […]
Question: How can I keep my faith strong when people of great faith are walking away from my faith? And if we have historical evidences for Jesus outside the Bible that are more convincing than any other religion, why is it that people who are Christians convert into other religions like Hinduism or Islam? If […]
The most important scientist today, Francis Collins and the most important Christian theologian of the day N. T. Wright have done their own rendition of Yesterday by the Beatles. You will love it, I think. https://biologos.org/resources/n-t-wright-and-francis-collins-sing-genesis
Question: As for Acts 8:37 none of the most ancient manuscripts include this material. The King James Version is the one which got it wrong. You are telling here here that the King James Version of the Bible is wrong. So how can we trust the other versions of the Bible because KJV is the […]
Question: When Jesus said to Thomas “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed” what does he mean? Does he mean that we should have a blind faith without looking for facts? Today we search for answers regarding the evidences of Bible’s reliability, we find solutions for apparent Biblical contradictions, we search for […]
Question: I am a Christian but I have become very doubtful. I ask you to pray for me, and maybe you will be so kind and answer one of my questions. Is there any other historical documents or archeological evidence that tells us about the Prophets of the Old Testament? For example Daniel became a […]
Question: If we are 100 percent sure that the 4 gospels are written by authors whom we attribute them to, why don’t they identify themselves in the gospels? Let’s exclude 2 and 3rd gospels (Mark and Luke) because they were not eyewitnesses, but let’s take 1st and last gospel (Matthew and John) if these gospels […]
Question: Why would God create someone knowing that he or she would separate themselves from God? Answer; The reason we exist at all is because God is a relational being. This is indicated by the trinity itself. We exist because God wanted to love us, he wanted us to love him and he wanted us […]
[Editor’s note: This is a rather long question, the essence of which is that the questioner doubts that the deity of Christ is established in Philippians 2:6-9. The questioner thinks that this is the principle support in Paul of Christ’s deity, but he believes that this claim is not supported by the passage] Question: How […]
Question: How can we trust the Bible? We know that Jesus existed for sure which every historian would agree but what about what he did ? If his miracles were true as gospels record them why don’t we have historical records of them outside the Bible?There were books that say that the 1st prime minister […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a class 7/15/2020 for the Bakersfield Church of Christ on history, archaeology and the Bible. This lesson mostly covered the Old Testament, giving strong evidence that the Old Testament is the most reliable book of ancient history we have. History Archaeology and the Bible PPT History Archaeology and the Bible […]
Question: Will there be a New World Order government over the United States in the end times? I watch the end times show on TBN and the host says the United States will end up backing out of New World Order or One World Government? Revelation makes it clear of the Antichrist’s role in end […]
Question: In Matthew 11:25-27 (Luke 10:21-22) Jesus says, “I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned…this is what you were please to do…no one knows the father except the son and those to whom the son chooses to reveal him…come to me all…” […]
Question: If the gospels are eyewitness accounts how do we deal with contradictions in them? Most of them can be reconciled but what about things that cannot be reconciled? For example, the denial accounts of Peter differ heavily. Is this not a contradiction? The possible solution would be Peter denied Jesus 6 times and if […]
Question: I am a vegetarian and I believe that slaughtering innocent animals is unethical, but the bible didn’t prohibit eating meat. Jesus ate fish. What’s is your opinion? Do you think that killing animals is ethical? Personally, I can’t understand how killing any living creature (unless I have no other choice, as defending myself or […]
Question: John, have you heard/do you have thoughts about the Westar Institute material? They claim that Jesus was an exceptional man, but not the ‘son of God’. They are very learned and seem less ’emotionally motivated’ than a Bart Ehrman type account. https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/the-jesus-seminar https://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/1994_five_gospels_no_Christ_Jesus_Seminar.pdf They are saying, yes Jesus existed, and he said and […]
Question: Can you help me to resolve this problem? “And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.” (Acts 22:9) “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.” (Acts 9:7) In […]
Question: I am reaching out to you today to ask a question. Sometimes it is easier to meditate on God’s Word intellectually but harder to connect to God through His Word emotionally or in a deeper level that produces transformation, which then leads to aligning myself to God. How do you gain the knowledge about […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of 16 sermons from the Gospel of Matthew (with a lesson on Matt 13 by Josh Fatherree included) for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. The entire series is available here, including notes and power point. Matthew Sermon Series Notes Matthew Sermon Sermon Series PPT Matthew I The Jewish Gospel ...
[Editor’s note: This is a series of questions on Critical Theory, which is a philosophical method developed in Germany in the 1930s, but which has been mentioned much lately as a means to evaluate and propose solutions to the racial issues in the US today.] Question: I have a question for you. I have been […]
Questions: 1) Why does God need to sacrifice His only Son in order to forgive other people’s sins? He is God, so couldn’t He do this without sacrificing his son? 2) Is the trinity a contraction? (How can God sacrifice Himself to Himself?) Answers: You are asking some really big questions here. I am answering […]
Question: If all humans descend from Noah, when did the first humans appear in the Americas and how did they cross the ocean to get there? Answer: The evidence from multiple angles, most importantly from C-14 data, but also from stratigraphic, the disappearance of megafauna and other kinds of evidence is that humans entered the […]
[Editor’s note: I have posted an inordinate number of articles on the biblical doctrine of baptism lately at the site. This is, on paper, a Christian evidence website, which seems to not fit this question, but this is a serious question, and apparently many are asking about this important topic, so I felt I must […]
Question: I have a question about God and physics. I ask that you help me with this. I’d greatly appreciate your help. I heard (I’m not sure if it’s true) that the laws of physics can create matter on their own. Is this true? If it is why should we still believe in God? Why should we […]
Question: I am an undergrad at [unidentified prestigious American university] who has been having a discussion with some friends about the following question: Why is it so much better to be a Christian than a virtuous person in the world? Why is it better to acknowledge God and live an exemplary life rather than just […]
Dr.John Oakes gave a lesson on an introduction to church history for the West region of the Los Angeles Church of Christ. This is a very short review, but it will be a good starting point for accessing this important topic. Dr. Oakes has a three volume series of books on church history, The Christian […]
Question: Would you be able to explain the words Jesus spoke in his monologues to himself and with the devil (being tempted in Matthew and Luke 4… etc)? If He were alone at those times, how were the Gospel writers able to report what transpired ‘accurately’ – since no one except Jesus could be there […]
Question: 1. How many Greek manuscripts we have dated before the 3rd century? I will be so happy if you give total manuscript numbers by century up to the 3rd century 2. How many copies do we have for the New Testament compared to secular ancient texts within the 3 centuries from the writing of […]
Question: Why should Israel punish heretics with death? in the NT it does not seem to happen in the same way. Should a Christian country tolerate pagan philosophies and religions, or should you pursue for the good of all? Answer: First of all, let me acknowledge that the distinction you notice is certainly real. The […]
Question: I have heard atheists make the claim that Jesus is immoral. One of them used Matthew 5:39 as their example. What is this verse saying? Answer: First of all, it is the consensus of Muslims, Hindus and even humanists, deists and most atheists that Jesus was one of the greatest people to have ever […]
John Oakes gave a series of sixteen sermons from the Book of Matthew April through August, 2020 for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. PPT, notes and audio are included. Matthew Sermon Whole Thing Matthew Sermon Series Notes Matthew The Jewish Gospel Audio Matthew II Prepare for Ministry Matt III Kingdom...
Dr. John Oakes gave a twelve hour class on Church History for interns in the San Joaquin Valley Churches of Christ on 7/23-23/2020. Notes, ppt and audio are included. Church History PPT church history notes Part I CHURCH HISTORY NOTES II Ch Hist Audio 1 Ch Hist Audio 2 Ch Hist Audio 3 ...
Dr. John Oakes did a three hour class on Daniel for the Greater Houston Church of Christ July, 2020. Notes, ppt and audio are attached. Daniel Notes Daniel PPT Daniel Audio 1 Daniel Audio 2 Daniel Audio 3 ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a class on History, Archaeology and the Bible in Bakersfield July, 2020 Notes, ppt and audio are included.History Archaeology and the Bible Notes History Archaeology and the Bible PPT History Archaeology and the Bible Audio ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of two lessons on practical evangelism for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. Notes and audio included.Evangelism Audio Evangelism Midweek Studying Bible With Friends Audio Studying the Bible With Our Friends ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a four-part class of eight hours on the subject of Christian Theology titled God. for the Bakersfield Church of Christ May-June, 2020. Notes, PPT and audio are included. God: Christian Theology PPT God–Christian Theology Notes God 1 God 2 Audio God 3 God 4 Audio ...
John Oakes taught a very brief overview of the importance of Church history to Christians in general, followed by an almost ridiculously short survey of the subject up to the time of the second great awakening. PPT, notes and audio are included. Church History very short 1 church history very short 2 Church...
Dr. John Oakes gave a ten hour class on the Book of Revelation for the Bakersfield Church of Christ April, 2020. Notes, ppt and audio are included.Revelation notes Revelation PPT Revelation Audio 1 Revelation II Audio Revelation Audio III Revelation IV Audio Revelation Part V Audio ...
Question: Hello I had a question regarding an interesting theory that I heard from Dr. William Lane Craig regarding the historicity of Adam and Eve. Dr. Craig stated that he has been studying the question of the historicity of Adam and Eve for around 2 years now. He has discussed information with scientists on a […]
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