Question: Can you please explain the variation in the Bible between Mathew 8:28, Mark 5:1, and Luke 8:26-27 with regard to where the miracle took place and the drowning of the swine after casting out demons from a man by Jesus? Mathew places the event in Gadara and Mark and Luke in Gerasa. They are […]
Question: How should I respond to the false allegation that Jesus and Christianity were invented by the Roman imperial family, the Flavians (or by Titus Flavius) as claimed in a book Caesar Messiah by the scholar Joseph Atwill? He also claims that the religion (Christian religion) was headquartered in Rome. Can you explain this to […]
Question: I want to ask a few questions. Is there any historical evidences that: 1. Jesus actually died on the cross 2 . The tomb (Jesus’ tomb ) was indeed empty on the third day and 3. Jesus actually resurrected from the death? Answer: Yes, indeed, there is evidence for the first two. […]
Question: I have heard that some early church writers interpolated several scriptures/verses into the New Testament: (For eg: Luke 23:34 was included by Irenaeus and Alexandrinus and others) Also, I heard it claimed that Luke 22:43-44, 22:19-20, 1 John 5:7-8, John 7:53-8:11, Mark 16:9-20, and 1 Cor 14:34-35 are all interpolated. Apparently, New Testament scholars […]
Question: Do you believe Adam had an alternative to not to sin or God has predestined the sin of Adam and Adam had not an alternative and he must only have sinned? Since our choices are determined by our DNA, our environment, our past experiences, our education (all factors we have not chosen) do you […]
Question: A Jewish Rabbi said that the Hebrew Tanakh (Tanach) and the Christian Old Testament are quite different . It seems Tanakh is not an Old Testament. More so, he said that Catholic Church misinterpreted several important verses (over and over) of the Old Testament to suits New Testament claims in order to make it fit […]
Question: I have seen a line of thinking on social media that says “Christianity was made because people fear death/ was made for people who fear death. “ I don’t know if it’s because I personally fear death, but this view is really getting to me. Is there any insight or words you would like […]
Question: Jehovah’s witnesses teach that no one goes to heaven after death. In proof of this they cite Acts 2,34 and they say that here Peter denies that David ascended into heaven and so if a man of God like David did not go to heaven it means no one go to heaven. Personally I […]
Question: Jesus—who had no sin (Hebrews 4:15)—is said to be “perfected” (Hebrews 2:10). I can’t understand what Jesus was missing. What was still imperfect in him? Answer: The word translated as “perfect” from the Greek in the New Testmanet is teleos or teleon. This word is not identical to the English word “perfect.” It has […]
Dr. John Oakes is one of the organizers of a Christian Teachers Conference coming up March 6-7 in San Antonio. We wanted to get the information out there. A brochure is below. Detailed schedule, cost and the ability to register will be coming soon.
Question: What is the meaning of “All Israel will be saved” in Romans 11:26? Does it teach that every single Israelite will be saved? If some Israelites are lost (for example Judas Iscariot) why did Paul say “All Israel will be saved”? Maybe Paul it referring to a future event in which every single member […]
Question: If Jeremiah 33 15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance? Answer: The timing and meaning of a prophecy is determined by the context. Besides, many of the restoration prophecies in both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are what I call “double prophecies.” […]
Question: I have a question on your thoughts about Robert Eisenman who says that Paul was a Herodian? He gives evidences that both men in question were named paul/saul , persecuted and killed many , were of Herodian bloodline (Romans 16:11) .. the assertions here are pretty serious and I’d like advice on countering these […]
Question: Is Satan responsible for every bad thing we do? I was recently told there are demons of divination, sleep, procrastination, fear, and basically anything considered bad. I know there are definitely demons/evil spirits of divination and the like but my issue with this theory is that sleep isn’t inherently bad, only when it is […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching an Old Testament Survey class in Bakersfield this week and will be posting notes, power point and audio. Twelve hours of audio are below.
Question: Question: If Jeremiah 33 15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration, doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance Answer: The timing and meaning of a prophecy is determined by the context. Besides, many of the restoration prophecies in both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are what I call “double […]
Question: One area of Old/New Testament which I’m interested in is the genealogy of Jesus. Now what I’m wanting to find out is whether the genealogy of the line of David (as the Jews know the Messiah must come from his line) is still being recorded to this day? Is there any record of it […]
[editor’s note: Tis is a pretty long, but nevertheless simple question. I hope you do not mind reading such a long question. My answer is below.] Question: In one of the articles at your web site someone was asking about how we can trust that the Bible came out correctly b/c it was written by […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a presentation at Temple Beth Shalom in West Covina on God and Science. Part I was on why science tells us there is a God. Part II was on why knowledge of science supports the idea that the Bible is inspired by God and Part III is about evolution, science and […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a twelve hour class on Christian evidence specifically for a group of campus ministry interns in Fresno, California July 11-12. Power Point presentations and audio will be uploaded from the class.
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the biblical doctrine of predestination for an all-Mexico conference in Toluca, Mexico 7/20/19. The class includes biblical evidence against “once saved, always saved,” a history of the doctrine of predestination, a description of Calvinism, a refutation of Calvinism and a presentation of the biblical doctrine of predestination. Notes […]
Request: I had a conversation with someone who knocked on my door from a “nondenominational” church. They meet on Saturdays. Can you point me in the right direction to figure out why meeting on Saturdays matter? Response: The answer is that meeting on Saturday does not matter. Christians can meet on Saturday or on Sunday […]
Question: How do we know that the Bible consists of real-life events and is not just a story put together by some bloke in the first century using characters based off people around that time. For example we do not know that Jesus actually said any of the words that he is recorded as saying […]
Question: I want to read the entire Bible. I’m very familiar with the New Testament, as I have read it many times. However, I find the Old Testament difficult to dive into because I don’t find it as applicable to everyday Christian living. Yet, I know there’s much to be gleaned from it. How can […]
Question: Is faith in God and in the things of God reasonable? I mean do you believe with a reason? Answer Yes, certainly. Paul told Festus on Acts 26:25 that what we believe about Jesus is “true and reasonable.” Of course, this is just a statement and you should not believe it is true and […]
[Editor’s note: this is part of an interaction with a questioner who feels my treatment of Peter Enns’ book How the Bible Actually Works is not fair. The article is found here: https://evidenceforchristianity.org/a-review-of-peter-enns-book-how-the-bible-actually-works/ ] Question: I have worked my way through some fairly lengthy portions of your sermon at the Boston Church of Christ on […]
Science of God I Science of God II Dr. John Oakes gave a series of lessons on God and Science, Science and the Bible and Evolution, Science and the Bible for the singles in West Covina, California in August, 2019....
Acts 20 Paul’s Farewell Address Acts and Church History Audio Dr. John Oakes gave two sermons from Acts in Bakersfield in 2019....
Dr. John Oakes taught a three-part sermon about finding Jesus in the Old Testament for the Bakersfield Church of Christ in June, 2019 From Shadow to Reality I Audio From Shadow to Reality Sacrifices and Jesus FSTR III Festivals...
Dr. John Oakes gave a twelve hour class on Christian Apologetics for campus and teen interns in Bakersfield and Fresno in June, 2019. Apologetics-Fresno-I Apologetics Fresno II Apol-Fresno-III Apologetics-Fresno-IV Apologetics-Fresno-V Apologetics-Fresno-VI Apologetics-Fresno-VII Apologetics-Fresno-VIII Apologetics-Fresno-IX Apologetics-Fresno-X Apologetics-Fresno-XI Apologetics-Fresno-XII...
Ezek 37 Valley of Dry Bones Audio...
Mary A Mother’s Heart Audio Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon for Mother’s Day in Bakersfield in May, 2019....
Dr. John Oakes gave a series of lessons as a Survey of the Old Testament for campus and teen interns in Bakersfield, Fresno and the Antelope Valley in July, 2019. OT-Survey-Bak-I OT-Survey-Bak-II OT-Survey-Bak-III OT-Survey-Bak-IV OT-Survey-Bak-V OT-Survey-Bak-VI OT-Survey-Bak-VII OT-Survey-Bak-VIII OT-Survey-Bak-IX OT-Survey-Bak-XI...
Dr. John Oakes taught a nine hour class on Romans in Bakersfield in May, 2019 Romans Audio I Romans Audio II Romans Audio III Romans Audio IV Romans Audio V Romans Audio VI Romans Audio VII Romans Audio VIII Romans IX Audio Romans Audio X Romans Audio XI ...
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of sermons for the entire book of Acts in Bakersfield. Hebrews1 audio Hebrews Ch 2 sermon Hebrews 3 sermon Heb 4 & 5 Jesus, the Perfect High Priest Hebrews 6 Sermon Heb 8 The Main Point Audio Heb 9 A Greater Sacrifice Heb 10 Draw Near to...
Question: Recently my home state of Alabama passed the most restrictive abortion law in the nation to date. I wanted to ask you if we as Christians can allow abortion. Many well-meaning people have differing opinions on this, as there are some morally difficult cases. For instance, while there are not that many cases of […]
Question: Does witchcraft truly exist? If yes how can a Christian shield himself from it? If no, how can a Christian handle this belief? Answer: Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces […]
Question: I am reading a book called With by Skye Jethani who mentions in chapter two that God is genderless based on Genesis 1:26-27. I don’t quite see the inference, the scripture affirms that we are made in the image of God. God made us both male and female. Jethani states, “It was explained to […]
Question: This may require some speculation, but what do we know about how thought paradigms have affected beliefs about the Bible throughout history? For example, today people get tripped-up over things like how Noah got every animal on earth into the ark, which misses the moral point of the story, but would a first century […]
Question: How does God’s sovereignty work together with human choices? Answer: My answer is that I do not know exactly how this works. I just know that it does because the Bible so clearly demonstrates that God gives us sovereignty over our own choices. We have free will. He does not force us to obey him […]
Question: Does a person’s motive justify his or her actions? ie. Is it possible to justify a good reason for doing something bad? I want to know that the Bible says about this. Emmanuel: This is a good question. I am afraid that there is no solid, clear-cut, definite answer in the Bible to this […]
Question: Do you think it is ok to take communion if you have not been baptized? If someone says they have been saved–for example that they ‘placed their faith in Christ, repented of their sins, believe Jesus died on the cross for their sins, accepted Christ as their Lord and savior’ etc….should they be able […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a six-part class on the Book of Romans in Bakersfield In May and June. Notes, PPT and audio are below. Romans Notes Romans PPT Romans Audio I Romans Audio II Romans Audio III Romans Audio IV Romans Audio V Romans Audio VI Romans Audio VII Romans Audio […]
I have had a number of requests by believers to read material by Peter Enns. He has published a number of books in which he attacks Biblical inerrancy and inspiration, and does it in the name, supposedly, of a more accurate Christianity. I have had personal friends read his material, find his ideas credible, and […]
Question: I am trying to understand how the early Christians viewed the Sabbath, how the non-Sabbath keepers justified a neglect of the fourth commandment and particularly if we can really be clear that God doesn’t intend for us to continue upholding the seventh day as a day of rest (doing no work, also taking into consideration […]
Question: Do you believe homosexuality is a sin? I read an article that discusses the use of the term homosexuality in the New Testament and how it had a completely different meaning when it was written. The article argued that homosexuality in the terms of two people loving each other didn’t exist back then and […]
Questions: I have two questions that cause a lot of troubles to me: Some people believe that the concept of hell is a pagan idea which Jesus copied from Egyptian and Greek culture. In the Old Testament they find nothing about the existence of hell and believe that the idea of hell was born in Egypt and […]
Dr. John Oakes gave sermons on Mother’s day and Easter. The first is Mary: A Mother’s Heart. Mary A Mothers Heart Notes Mary A Mother’s Heart PPT Mary A Mother’s Heart Audio The second sermon is on why we can believe that Jesus was bodily resurrected from the dead, on the power of the […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a sermon on Ezekiel 36 and 37 for the Bakersfield Church of Christ 5/20/19. Notes and ppt attached. Ezekiel 37 Valley of Dry Bones Notes Ezekiel 37 The Valley of Dry Bones PPT Ezek 37 Valley of Dry Bones Audio
Question: About Mark 14:51 – What is the significance of this verse (the one about the young man who fled the scene of the arrest of Jesus without his clothes)? Answer: The story about the young man losing his clothes is a surprisingly insignificant detail to be included in the Scripture, causing many to wonder […]
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