Question: This is my last semester in college and one the classes I’m taking is “Evolution and Systematics”. My professor is an outspoken atheist ( I had anticipated this) and regularly derides any belief in God ( sometimes adding foul language into the mix). During the first day of class, he asked us to “raise […]
Question: Should Christian Swear On Bible In Court? Answer: I cannot think of any biblical reason that a Christian cannot swear on the Bible if asked to in court. Now, it is true that Jesus said in Matthew 5:33-37 that we should not swear at all. However, we need to consider the context. In the […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class, along with Dr. Nick Zola on teachers and teaching in the New Testament for the teacher’s conference Conversations on 3/6/2020. Much of this material comes from Dr. Glenn Giles who was originally scheduled to teach this class. Thanks, Glenn. Teachers in the NT PPT NT Teacher Audio […]
Question: I have three questions: 1. It is said by some who do a lot of research that Jesus Christ of Nazareth did not exist and all stories about Jesus Christ of Nazareth were retellings of older pagan myths by relatively well educated Greek-speaking (and writing) Christians during the 2nd half of the first century. […]
Question: Is human nature good or evil? For the majority of my life, I have been told humans are born evil. Evil humanity must choose God so they will completely alter the core of their being to ‘good’. Humanity then lives the rest of their lives fighting the true self so God can continue to […]
[Editor’s note: This is a rather long question, but the answer is below!] Question: This is on Daniel 9 and what Wiki has been saying about it. First of all, they say this has nothing to do with Jesus and the temple but it is about Jeremiah. As stated here: “The seventy weeks prophecy is […]
Question: Did God order that 6th commandment be broken when in 1 Samuel 15:3 He ordered the murder of the innocent children and infants (innocent in terms of them not having done the things the Amelikites did that forced God to order their killing). Or am I confusing the definition of murder? The reason I […]
Question: A friend of mine is adamant that discipling is unbiblical and is saying that the Holy Spirit alone is sufficient to teach us and people can lead us astray. He is using this scripture ( 1 John 2:27-28) to prove his point.. He is trying hard to negatively influence me about being in a […]
John Oakes is teaching a class on Hermeneutics in Bakersfield, California in February. This class focuses on the means to best interpret and understand the Bible. Classes are at 9:00 at 3010 Amber Canyon Place, Bakersfield (except 2/8 at 1:30). Notes, power point and audio are included. Hermeneutics Notes Hermeneutics PPT Hermeneutics Audio […]
Question: Who are the magi that visited baby Jesus? Why are they important enough to be in the Bible? What would the people of Jesus’ era and culture have understood about them? Answer; Matthew does not identify the magi, but we know they come from the East. If one is in Bethlehem, to the east […]
Question: I am confused with omnipresence of God and the theophany in Old Testament. My question is how the omnipresent nature of God can be consistent with theophany? Hope this helps. A similar question goes for the incarnation and the second coming of Christ. If God is omnipresent how then can theophany or incarnation makes […]
Quetion: I saw this comment online that reads : “Why do we teach that a person must continue to ask for forgiveness for sins that God is not counting against us and for which no sacrifice remains that God requires or accepts (2 Corinthians 5:19; Hebrews 10:17-18)?”. I know that we can’t deliberately keep on […]
Question: I was wondering if when God finished creating in Gen 2:2-3 he rested because he was actually tired. At first I thought that was absurd (and I still do to a degree). Maybe another reason for the rest was to establish the Sabbath, but then I saw the passage from Exodus 31:17 where it […]
Question: Can a Christian read the Koran and can you tell me a few reasons a Christian might want to do this? How can it be helpful for the Christian life? How many times did you red Koran and how has it helped you? Answer: Thanks for the question. I have read the Qur’an through […]
Question: Some people have asked me about Christians practicing yoga? Where is the red line in this practice, of whether Christians can do yoga? Answer: I am sure you know that I am not going to give you a “red line,” as to create red lines is to practice legalism. We do not need red […]
Question: Can you please refute the objections to Paul as an apostle that are listen here: https://www.JESUSwordsonly.com/component/content/article/1-jwo/727-proofs-the-12-apostles-rejected-paul.html Answer: The claims made at this web site should not be taken seriously. No serious scholar would give the slightest support to this nonsense. The author clearly has a claim he wants to “prove” and he will use […]
Question: Hey all at EFC! I was wondering how I would respond to a claim that Jesus lied in John 7:1-10. This doesn’t affect my faith whatsoever but I would like to know how I would handle this question. Also does Leviticus 25:44 necessarily teach that you can buy slaves as long as they aren’t […]
Questions: 1. If an allegorical system of interpretation is applied to the creation story, that is 6 days is billions of years, how about the rest of the scripture? 2. God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning— the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31), […]
Question: My friend asked “Does Daniel live up to the criteria for a true prophet laid out in Deuteronomy 18? Daniel 9:24 says that 70 weeks are decreed to put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness and seal up vision and prophecy. Sin continues to this day, everlasting righteousness has not been brought […]
Dr. John Oakes is one of a team teaching a class on Genesis for the Los Angeles School of Ministry and Missions Dec 4-5, 2019, along with Glenn Giles and Trevor Cochell. My part will be teaching a class on Genesis and Apologetics. Notes and PPT for both the apologetics class and the full class […]
Question: What is your opinion on Dr. Hugh Ross, an OEC [editor: old earth creationist] who has written books such as ‘Matter of Days’, etc. and that of John Lennox, who has written the book ‘Seven Days that Divide the World.’? Within Christian circle, we often say it doesn’t matter for our faith whether we […]
Questions: Did Paul really write Ephesians, Colossians and the Pastoral Epistles? In other words, did Paul really write all the 13 epistles of the New Testament normally attributed to him? One scholar, Bart D.Ehrman says that only the seven books, the undisputed letters of St.Paul are authentic and the rest 20 books of the New […]
Question: How can I defend my faith to skeptics who say that Moses of the Old Testament did not exist? Answer: To be honest, this is not an easy question. Here is why. The evidence for the historical reality of Moses is relatively indirect. There is no ancient inscription from the second millennium BC which […]
[Editor’s note: This is a rather long question with a fairly short answer. See below] Question: When we say to an anti-Trinitarian that the Holy Spirit is a person because in the scriptures we find personal characteristics they say that the personality of the Holy Spirit is not allegorical or symbolic. They say that the […]
Question: I have learned that there are many interpolations of several Bible verses in the Bible. Even Irenaeus and other early church fathers interpolated the version of Luke 23:34 which says ” Father forgives them,for they do not know what they are doing.” Here,I have two questions: 1. If God is a sovereign God, why does He […]
Question: If God exists then why have I never seen him or heard him? Answer: From your question, it appears that your concept of God is not the same as the biblical description of God. In Hebrews 11:3, after the writer tells us that faith involves things which cannot be seen, he then tells us […]
Question: I have watched in a video by Kent Hovind where he gives the evidence that dinosaurs lived with humans and he has provided cultural evidences in which ancient inscription and arts portrayed dinosaur-like animals living with humans. And still some YEC teachers argue that Behemoth and Leviathan in book of Job refers dinosaurs . […]
Question: Why does Job 25:4 say that no man born of woman can be pure if Jesus, born of woman, is pure? Answer: Job is unique among biblical writing. It is an account of the Satanic attack on Job, on his own response, on the opinions of his friends Bildad, Eliphaz, Zophar, Job’s responses and […]
Many in our churches who spend time on our college campuses have come across the rather strange sect which teaches about the Mother Goddess. I had not come across this group personally until a recent experience while sharing my faith at Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, California. Normally, I like to avoid writing against groups I […]
We want to invite you to our first annual teaching ministry conference. It will be Friday and Saturday, March 6-7, 2020 at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. This conference is for anyone who is now doing the work of a teacher or anyone who aspires to be a teacher in the […]
Question: Does science prove that miracles exist? Answer; I assume you are asking if science can be used to prove that a miracle occurred. There are two reasons the answer is no. First of all, science has to do with things which are “natural.” In other words, science only deals with events that occur due […]
Question: Skeptics like Robert McNair Price and others says that a historical figure Jesus Christ of the Nazareth of our Christian Bible did not exist. Is there any historical evidences to their claim that a historical figure Jesus Christ of the Nazareth of our Christian Bible did not exist? My question is: Did the historical […]
Dr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo gave a six hour workshop on the Book of Hebrews in San Diego 11/2/19. Notes, PPT and recordings are attached. Unfortunately, only the teaching by John Oakes is included in the recordings. (Intro, 4:13-12:5). Hebrews PPT Hebrews Notes Hebrews Audio 1 Hebrews Audio 2 Hebrews […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a very brief teaching tour in Mexico, specifically in Tlaxcala and Puebla. These two cities are part of old Mexico. Tlaxcala is the location of the first Catholic diocese in Mexico and is the route through which Cortex conquered Tenochtictan/Mexico City. Heb 11 Living by Faith Tlaxcala Viviendo por la […]
Question: Which of the Jewish biblical customs that are still binding on Christians today? Answer: This goes down as my easiest question this week. None. Period. Not one. We are not subject to the Law of Moses. Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17) so that we are not obligated to the Law of Moses. Jesus put […]
Question: Why do people use the first eleven chapters of Genesis for data on creation even tough it is one big poem pointing to our amazing creator? Answer: Probably the best way to get an answer to your question is to ask the people who do this. They are in a position to tell you […]
Question: It is said that the writings of the historians Publius Cornelius Tacitus and Titus Flavius Josephus, born Yosef ben Matityahu were forgeries. Is there any historical evidence that the writings of the historians Publius Cornelius Tacitus and Titus Flavius Josephus were forgeries? How far it is true? Answer: About these authors, the answer depends […]
Question: Do early Church Fathers support Catholic doctrine, as the Catholics claim? For example, St Ignatius writes: “Make no mistake, my brothers, if anyone joins a schismatic he will not inherit God’s Kingdom. If anyone walks in the way of heresy, he is out of sympathy with the Passion. Be careful, then, to observe a […]
Question: If Jesus died for our sins…why should we need to be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (besides the fact of it being a command)? Answer: I do not mean to be facetious, but the simple answer is “Because God said so.” If God tells us to do something, it is not required […]
Question: How can i differentiate between biblical principles and commandment? Answer: This is a great question. I only wish I had a great answer. My answer is to offer you some potential questions to ask yourself. Q: Is God asking me to do something specific here? If so, what is he asking me to do? […]
Question: Please what are the Jewish customs that are still binding on us Christians today? Answer: This goes down as my easiest question this week. None. Period. Not one. We are not subject to the Law of Moses. Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17) so that we are not obligated to the Law of Moses. Jesus […]
Question/Comment: If Paul can see a bright light on a dark desert highway and believe that he has seen the physically resurrected Jesus then it is entirely plausible that this is what happened to Peter, James, the Twelve, and the “Five Hundred”. They all saw a strange bright light and believed it was an appearance […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching a 16 hour class together with Glenn Giles for the Los Angeles School of Ministry and Mission 9/13-14/2019. Because I am sharing the class with Glenn, this material does not cover the entire book. The notes, however, do cover the entire book. Old Testament Allusions and Foreshadows of Revelation […]
Question: Is it true, as said by Bart D. Ehrman, that the early church father Papias of Hierapolis ,who lived around 120-140 A.D , is not referring to our Mark or our Matthew of the gospels of the/our Christians Bible? He (Bart D. Ehrman) said that there are very solid reasons that Papias of Hierapolis […]
Question: Muslims say that Jesus did not die on the cross. Is there any historical evidences to their (Muslims)claims? Answer: First of all, the fact that Muhammad claimed Jesus did not die or was not resurrected has a problem up front. Muhammad lived nearly six hundred years after Christ. How would he know anything that […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a class titled “Devoted to Prayer in Bakersfield 12/3/19. Audio, ppt and notes are attached. Devoted to Prayer Devoted to Prayer PPT Devoted to Prayer Notes
Question: How can we really know for sure that the Gnostic gospels- The gospel of Thomas, the gospel of Philip, the gospel of Mary, the gospel of Judas, etc. were actually not written by the disciples of Jesus Christ? Answer: I suppose we cannot absolutely “prove” in the mathematical sense of proof that Thomas did […]
Question: My friend asks if Jesus is the only parameter to get to heaven. Not everyone gets to know Jesus like some do in their privilege. So she finds it hard to believe in a religion that doesn’t give everyone a chance. When she asks how the people prior to Jesus were saved, she was […]
Question: Bart D. Ehrman says that the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) of the Christians Bible don’t have names attached to them. The early church fathers who quote these gospels don’t say anything about them being Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here is what Ehrman claims: 1.The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) don’t […]
Question: What are your thoughts on the 1995 radiocarbon dating performed on charred cereal remains found at Jericho’s (Tell Es-Sultan) Middle Bronze Age City IV which dated these remains to the 17th or early 16th century BC? (Link to report below) Many use this finding as a counter to Bryant Wood’s conclusion that the Middle […]
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