Question: I had a question about a couple of things that I heard an atheist bring up the other day. How do you respond to an atheist that says they can’t believe in the Bible because of some of the things that are in there like talking snakes, talking bushes, unicorns or even the time […]
Question: I have heard it said that if all the New Testament manuscripts were lost, the entire NT could still be replaced merely by the quotes from the church fathers…except for a scant few verses. My questions: 1. Who all has done a study to verify this? 2. How accurate were the quotations by the […]
Question: My brain is overheated since i’m trying to reconcile the apparent contradictions we find in the narratives of the apparitions of Jesus after his resurrection. For example, Jesus said to the disciples to go to Galilee and that He will precede them there and then they will meet Him in Galilee. (Matthew)….but no….Jesus appeared […]
[Editor’s note: When this question came in to the web site, I was absolutely shocked to find that I had never posted an answer to this most basic of questions. So, I am publishing this as an article as well.] Question: While sharing my faith with a person of another religion, he was questioning me […]
Question: While sharing my faith with a person of another religion, he was questioning me about why my God is so cruel to kill people when He is zealous.? I was going through Old Testament books and see lot of battles, killings etc.. I just want to be clear about what God want us to understand when […]
Question: Is Malachi 3:1 calling Jesus Christ a Messenger or a Angel of the covenant? Answer: First of all, Malachi 3:1 is about John the Baptist, not about Jesus. Like John said about himself, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23) In Matthew […]
Question: I have three questions: 1- I have searched and found that there is division between scholars about dating the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Although some believe that they were written before 62 AD because there is no mention of Paul’s death or destruction of Jerusalem, most scholars believe that they […]
[Editor’s note: This is a series of two questions and answers] Question: Why do Muslims think that we worship the same God? Answer: The reason they say we worship the same God is because we worship the same God. Muhammad believed that the God of the Jews and the God of the Christians was the […]
[Editor’s note: I received two remarkably similar questions within hours of each other, so am combining them below. I hope it is not confusing.] Question: I have few questions that have weighed on the back of my mind for a while. How is God in control when people have free will? They can sin against […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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...
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...
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 […]
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
John Oakes preached a sermon on faithfulness to God. Malachi” Faith or Faithful? audio...
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
[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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
[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. […]
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) […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
[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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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...
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...
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 […]
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