Dr. John Oakes – Page 20 – Evidence for Christianity

Is an atheist I was reading from right that the chronology of Paul, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John supports the claim that the physical resurrection of Jesus is a “myth”?

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

Question: [editor’s note: this is a rather long question with an even longer answer, so be patient] I came across a write up on the fact/fiction of the Resurrection of the Lord herehttp://capturingchristianity.com/fact-fiction-resurrection-jesus-comprehensive-case/ My questions to you won’t focus on street epistemology but on the last comments of this article from Bob. His line […]

My friend tells me that baptism is a work and that it has no role in our salvation. Also, she says that real baptism is “entirely spiritual.” What is your response?

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

Question: My friend has argued that needing to be baptized with water to receive salvation is a false doctrine. Her argument is based on the idea that the baptism Jesus established is entirely spiritual- a baptism of the Holy Spirit- and baptism with water is only a “work” one does out of obedience after one […]

In Luke 24 and John 20 people did not recognize Jesus. Could this mean, as my Muslim friend claims, that it was not Jesus but a case of mistaken identity?

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

Questions: 1 – In Luke 24 we read that two disciples met Jesus and talked with him but did not know him! We read also about Mary Magdalene who did not know Jesus at first in John 20. Jesus appeared again in John 21 to the disciples but they did not recognize him!!! Doesn’t this support the […]

Journal: Missionary Teaching Trip to Nigeria, Togo, Congo and Zambia

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching .

I am now on the last leg of my travels, in Lusaka, Zambia. Lessons are at the web site. Africa 2019 Journal Jan 3-10 Abuja Nigeria I arrive in Abuja at 5:00 AM. Abuja is a city of five million. It is the second city of Nigeria and is the political capital. It is a […]

Lessons from Africa 2019 Missionary Teaching Trip

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible, Bible Teaching, Bible Teaching, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Jesus, PowerPoints .

Dr. John Oakes is on a missionary teaching trip to Nigeria, Togo, Republic of Congo and Zambia. Notes, PPTs and audio will be posted. Revelation-PPT Revelation notes Revelation Abuja audio 1 Revelation Abuja audio 2 Revelation Abuja audio 3 Revelation Abuja audio 4 Daniel PPT Daniel notes Daniel Abuja audio Hebrews Living […]

If God regretted making human beings (Genesis 6:6), does this mean that God made a mistake? What does this say about God?

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

Question: “The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I wanted to know if God regretted making humans, then can we conclude that he made a mistake making humans. What would it mean if we say that God makes mistakes? Answer: This is […]

Church History Class LASMM by John Oakes (30 hour class)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Audio, Church History, Uncategorized .

John Oakes taught a four-day thirty hour class on Church History for the Los Angeles School of Mission and Ministry. This is a lot of material!!! Church History audio 1 Church History Audio 2 Church History Audio 3 Church History Audio 4 Church History Audio 5 Church History Audio 6 Church History Audio 7 Church...

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Hebrews Sermons, Bakersfield

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Audio, Bible Teaching, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Jesus .

John Oakes is teaching a series of sermons from Hebrews Hebrews 1 audio Hebrews Ch 2 sermon Hebrews 3 sermon Heb 4 & 5 Jesus, the Perfect High Priest Hebrews 6 Sermon...

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Could Genesis 38:8-10 be legitimately used to show that contraception is sinful?

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

Question: I know the story in Genesis 38:8-10 is not talking about masturbation. I know some people call masturbation Onanism, even though the scripture is clearly not talking about this. However, could this scripture be used to forbid the use of condoms and contraceptives? Is continuing the family line not a moral obligation as it […]

Teaching weekend in Central Massachussetts. God and Science, Problem of Pain and Suffering, Christianity and Postmodernism Hebrews 11

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

Dr, John Oakes taught a series of lessons for the Pilgrim Valley Church of Christ in Central Massachussetts March, 2019 God and Science UMass Christianity and Postmodernism Living by Faith Heb 11 Mass Problem of Pain and Suffering

Malachi Sermon by John Oakes

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Audio, Bible Teaching .

John Oakes preached a sermon on faithfulness to God. Malachi” Faith or Faithful? audio...

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The Fall of Babylon: A Reassessment

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible .

Editor’s note: This article was shared with me recently by a believer who uses the web site. The author, a rabbi, proposes that a contributing factor to the fall of Babylon to Persia was that Nabonidus (the father of Belshazzar and king of Babylon, see Daniel 5) cooperated with Cyrus in order to obtain the […]

Do we know how many children Joseph and Mary had? How were the books of the Bible chosen?

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

Question: How were the books of the Bible chosen? Do we know how many children Joseph and Mary had? Answer: I answer your first question in great detail in my book “Reasons for Belief” which is available at www.ipibooks.com. I am also attaching a shorter version of notes on canon to this e-mail. HOW WE […]

Could the little horn in Daniel 7:24 be the Roman Catholic Church?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I have a question concerning the little horn of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:24. While you claim that the little horn was Domitian, http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/who-is-the-bible-antichrist-today.html claims it represents the Catholic Church. Would you have any thoughts on this claim? Answer: I believe that those who claim that the eleventh horn in Daniel 7 is the Roman […]

Jehovah Witnesses claim that Constantine made the Bible Pagan. What is your response?

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

Question: Jehovah’s Witnesses state that Constantine made the Bible pagan, Hence their New World Translation. Do you have any evidence against this as nobody yet has been able to provide me something that backs up their claim. Thanks very much. Answer: This claim is so blatantly unfounded that for anyone to make the it they […]

Living by Faith Sermon 12/8/18

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon for the Bakersfield Church of Christ 12/08/2018 on Hebrews 11. Power Point and audio are attached. Living by Faith Audio HebrewsLivingbyFaith

Book Recommendation: Can We Trust the Gospels?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Articles, Bible, Jesus, Manuscript/Textual Issues .

I do not post a lot of book reviews or recommendations, but for this one I am going to make an exception. I just finished reading a brand new book–published only in the last few weeks–by Peter J. Williams. It is available from Crossway Books. The title is Can We Trust the Gospels? In this book […]

Why is there so much division in Christianity? Why can

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A .

Question: Why are there so many divisións in Christianity? Why can’t we all be one? Answer: I have already answered this question, and am copying an earlier answer but am amplifying the response a bit. The reason there are so many denominations is a matter more of history than of anything else. There really was […]

If you started as an atheist, why did you come to believe in God and why do you believe specifically in Christianity?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Other Religions, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: In one of your articles, you said you used to be an atheist, but now you believe in God. Why did you change your mind about the existence of God and why did you choose Christianity? Why not Judaism or Islam, Hinduism? Have you read the texts of other religions? If so, why do […]

If Apollonius of Tyana cast out demons, what does this say about the Christian claim that Jesus cast out demons? Does this confirm Apollonius or others who did the same?

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

Question: We use the fact that Jesus cast out demons as evidence of his power. However, I have noticed that other religious leaders also cast out demons, such as Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and even African wizards. How is it possible that others can do this sort of thing? What does it mean, given that Jesus […]

How can a person who grew up with a background in science and critical thinking believe in God?

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

I have several questions: How can I believe in God when I grew up from a background of science and critical thinking? What about evolution? What if we believe and God commands us to kill someone? What is the most compelling scientific evidence or argument available? If you can, please provide three scientific arguments. What […]

Is Chapter 2 of Wisdom (part of the Apocrypha) inspired prophecy of Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, General, Q & A .

[Editor’s note: for those who are not aware, Wisdom (also known as Wisdom of Solomon) is part of the Old Testament Apocrypha. It can be found in the Jerusalem Bible or in any Catholic Bible] Question: Since the Wisdom of Solomon chapter 2 contains many good MESSIANIC prophecies is there any evidence of its authenticity […]

Acts Class in San Diego

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, PowerPoints .

Dr. John Oakes, along with Josh Plum, Austin Farrel, Pedro Figueroa and Ricky Fagan are teaching a class on the Book of Acts for the San Diego Teaching Ministry. Notes, Power Point and audio are attached. The class will be every Saturday 9:00-10:45 at Church SD 4579 Mission Gorge Pl. San Diego 92120. Acts Class […]

What evidence is there to oppose what is said about Jesus in the Toledot and by Celsus?

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

Question: What proof is there against the stories about Jesus in the Talmud (for example in the Toledot) and Celsus? Answer: I am well aware of Celsus and his spurious attacks on Jesus and the Christian faith, but, to be honest, I had not heard of the Toledot before. Technically, the Toledot is not part […]

What should the Christian attitude be concerning illegal aliens? What about contingencies?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Social Issues .

[Editor’s note: To readers who are not from the United States, please forgive the fact that this question and answer are somewhat between insiders to the US on this question. Hopefully, the principles will apply everywhere] Question: I have a question as immigration debates are heating up in America. Normally, I wouldn’t care as much. […]

What is the correct meaning of the word normally translated as Adam’s “rib” in the creation account?

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

Question: In reading the account of woman’s creation in KJV, NIV, ESV, etc. she is mentioned as being formed out of Adam’s ribs, however the direct Hebrew translation is not ribs but “Angular Organ(s)”. Also, the Hebrew word “adm” is used when referring to “human, person, or man” and “Adam”. So my questions are 1) […]

Is Isaiah 25:6-8 a dual prophecy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: Is Isaiah 25:6-8 a dual prophecy – of the resurrection of Christ and of the second coming of Christ? The background of the question is the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14. I have read in Kenneth Baileys book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels” that the Jews believed […]

Power Points in French

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Teaching, PowerPoints .

Dr. Oakes did a series of classes in French West Africa. Translation is by Gilbert Kimeng. Acts Ch 20 sermon French Acts and Church History French Daniel French Hebrew French

Robert Price claims that 1 Cor 15:3-11 is an interpolation. Can you prove that this passage is genuine?

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

Question: Robert Price claims that 1 Corinthians 15 : 3 – 11 is an interpolation https://depts.drew.edu/jhc/rp1cor15.html How can you prove the authenticity of this important text? [Editor’s note: this passage is a key one with regard to the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus] Answer: I did some research and found that, as far as I can […]

Please respond to some “evidence” used by an atheist to prove that Jesus never lived.

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

[Editor’s note: This is a follow-up to a question just posted a couple of days ago. I asked the questioner to send specific examples from a rather long article by an atheist who claims that Jesus did not even live at all. The material in italics is the material he asked me to comment on […]

Jesus told us to give to anyone who asks. How do I apply this? What about people taking advantage or asking for a bribe?

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

Question: Since I want follow Jesus I wonder how to deal with certain situations. Jesus said that we must not refuse to give to anyone who ask us to give them something. (Matthew 5:39). What if we are asked to give a bribe? Also, many beggars ask for money as a way of life without […]

Paul uses the third person in 2 Cor 12:1-7, yet many say he is talking about himself going to the “third heaven.” Why do they think this?

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

Question: Regarding 2 Cor 12:1-7 many people believe that Paul went to the third heaven. But why would Paul speak in the third person here? Isn’t this his own experience? I have difficulty to believe Paul was saying he himself went to heaven because He wrote in the third person seemingly speaking of someone else. […]

Please respond to an article at https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/did-jesus-exist/ claiming Jesus did not even exist.

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

Question: If an atheist sent you the website below claiming that Jesus did not even exist, how would you debunk it? I know there is a lot to this article but what are some thing that stand out to you that he may have gotten wrong. https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/did-jesus-exist/ Answer: This article is too long for me […]

Can you explain the Hebrew Root movement and give some resources on them?

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

Question: Hello, again I would like to know about books or authors that talk about the Hebrew Root movement, also known as the Holy Name movement, it would be very helpful for me. Answer: The Hebrew Root Movement is a messianic Christian group with some affinities with the Jehovah Witness group. Their beginning goes back to […]

Jesus said we must observe all the law of Moses in Matt 5:19, but Paul disagreed. Is this a contradiction?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Q & A, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Please help me to understand this apparent contradiction. Jesus said that we must observe every detail of the commandments and precepts of the law of Moses. Jesus said in Matthew 5:19: ” Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the […]

Lessons in Arabic and English

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Articles, Bible and Science, Bible Teaching, Jesus, Other Religions, Pain and Suffering, Philosophy, PowerPoints, Theology, World View .

Dr. John Oakes is teaching in Amman, Jordan, Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt. We will be posting outlines, ppts and audio of lessons in English, translated into Arabic. Hard Questions Arabic PPT Hard Questions Audio Freedom in Christ Arabic Audio Existence of God PPT Existence of God Arabic audio From God or Man […]

How do we become completely selfless? Is that what God wants of us?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A .

Question: How do we become completely selfless? Is that what God wants of us? I know He doesn’t want us to be selfish and I know He wants us to love others and help others but I have a friend who once told me everything I do is really just out of my selfish ambition […]

My friend claims that God has no problem with men raping women. What about Deuteronomy 22:25-28?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Social Issues, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: I have recently seen someone try to argue that God has no problem with men raping women. They used a few scriptures to “support” this opinion and each one was unfaithfully paraphrased. However upon looking at these scriptures I noticed that Deuteronomy 22:25 says the man should be put to death, but in verse […]

English Audio from Africa Missionary Teaching Trip

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Audio, Bible Teaching, Church History, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Jesus, Theology .

Dr. John Oakes taught numerous lessons in Western, Central and Southern Africa in Jan, 2019. Revelation Abuja 1 Revelation Abuja 2 Revelation Abuja 3 Revelation Abuja 4 Daniel Abuja Living by Faith Abuja Freedom in Christ Abuja Acts 20 Sermon Jos From Shadow to Reality Jos Malachi Sermon Jos Acts and Church History II Acts...

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French Audio from Africa

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Audio, Bible Teaching, Church History, Jesus, Pain and Suffering, Philosophy .

Dr Oakes taught several lessons in French in West Africa. Acts Church History French Hebrews French 1 Hebrews French 2 Freedom in Christ French Acts 20 Sermon French Revelation French Audio Holy Spirit French Problem Pain Suffering French Daniel Pointe Noire...

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Missionary Teaching trip to Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt: Journal

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Announcements, Articles .

We are now on our way home from Egypt. This is the final addition to the journal Middle East Fall, 2018 Journal October 22-28 Israel Jan and I are here in Israel as part of Doug Jacoby’s Biblical Study Tour for a seven day sojourn through Israel. We arrive at Tel Aviv on Monday at […]

How do I convince a person that Christianity is the only true faith without appearing intolerant of other religions?

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

Question: How do you convince people that Christianity should be the only religion/faith in this world? So many people make it seem like it’s impossible and ridiculous to think this and they make you feel like in a sense that you’re being intolerant. Answer: First of all, you cannot convince anyone of something they are […]

Do we have free will? Doesn’t that violate God’s will?

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

Question: Do you believe we have free will? I always felt we have it but doesn’t God’s will always prevail anyway? Answer: Interestingly, the Bible does not include the phrase free will. However, the concept is found in many places in scripture. Scriptures about the freedom (of will) we have in Christ include Gal 2:4, […]

Given Job 33:14-18, is it likely that God would still speak to us in our dreams to warn us about sin?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Supernatural .

Question: I have a question about God speaking to us in our dreams. What do you think of Job 33:14-18? “For God does speak—now one way, now another— though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds, he […]

In Daniel 10 the response of the angels was delayed for 21 days. I am having trouble making sense of this. An explanation?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A, Supernatural .

Question: I know you are a Daniel expert. I heard a sermon recently regarding a scripture in Dan 10 about an angel being delayed for 21 days. I am having a hard time making sense about this, because this says to me that Gods army is finite and limited. Which makes me question God’s power […]

From Shadow to Reality in Temecula

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Jesus, Prophecy, Uncategorized .

Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon on finding Jesus in the Old Tesatment in Temecula, California on 10/14/18. Notes, PPT and audio are included. Shadow to Reality Notes FSTR PPT FSTR Temecula Audio

Is the fact that the apostles didn’t believe in the resurrection at first evidence that it did not happen?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: We read in the gospels that Jesus informed his disciples that he would be resurrected on the third day, but we read also that the disciples at first didn’t believe the resurrection (Luke 24 :11). Isn’t this a contradiction? Isn’t this an evidence against the resurrection? Answer: If the Bible was a whitewashed version of […]

Is there any evidence that Joseph of Arimathea went to the British Isles with Jesus when he was a teen?

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

Question: Is there any proof that Joseph of Arimathea went to the British Isles to procure tin and took the young Jesus with him? I came across this claim presented as historical research with a significant amount of “documentation” from ancient sources. I was not aware of any evidence for the “missing” years of Jesus’ […]

Is Jeremiah 33:25 a good passage to help explain “God of the gaps” arguments?

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

Question: I was thinking about the “God of the gaps” argument some time ago and was looking to come up with a reasonable response. I thought I could simply say that while science may have figured out how things work, it was God who authored the laws of nature that govern those workings. The problem […]

Is the correct translation of Psalm 14:7 “someone out of Zion” or “salvation out of Zion”?

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

Question: Is PSALM 14 7 ” someone out of zion ” or “salvation out of zion” Answer: The Hebrew word in question here is yeshua. It is the word translated as salvation in most Bibles, which is the word equivalent of the names Joshua and Jesus, both of which are yeshua in Hebrew. The word Jesus means salvation. […]