[Editor’s note: This is obstensibly a Christian evidence web site, but I have gotten a LOT of questions about baptism lately for some reason. Apologies to those who find this topic not important] Question: I wanted to get some feedback on the scripture in regards to baptism. If baptism is necessary for salvation, why would Paul […]
Question: I’ve been doing some sermons on Revelation and it obviously intersects with Daniel 7. I’ve been reading some of your Q/A, and I have a few thoughts to offer regarding the following section of Daniel 7. “After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.” We understand this to […]
Request: Please, can you refute this video, I’d really appreciate it (considering Islam). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R27Kb__1Ko&feature=youtu.be Response: I cannot refute a video. I can attempt to refute particular things said in a video. What you ask I cannot do. In fact, a number of the things said in this video are actually true. I certainly cannot refute […]
[Editor’s note: The original question was followed up with another which is below. It became clear that the intent of the original question seems to have been to support the idea that baptism is not necessary, as the questioner quotes from Matt Slick who is a kind of self-appointed archenemy of those who believe that […]
[Editor’s note: This is not the kind of article I would normally post at this Christian evidence website, but I get surprisingly many questions on this topic that I do not post, so I decided to post this excellent article by my good friend Gordon Ferguson] Question: I’m a women’s ministry leader in a Spanish […]
Question: It is written in the Bible that God never changes. But when you look at the Old and New Testament, God seems to be quite different in the two testaments. It is written that Jesus has always existed. So is it correct to say that God was not changing himself from what He was […]
I will be posting many lessons from my current teaching trip. All will be in English, but with translation into Russian, Japanese, or Mongolian. Freedom in Christ Russian FreedominChrist Russian ppt Hebrews Russian 1 Hebrews Russian 2 Hebrews Russian 3 Hebrews Russian PPT Christian World View Russian Christian World View Russian PPT From […]
Dr. John Oakes is starting a three week missionary teaching trip to Russia, Japan, Mongolia and Kyrgistan. Right now I am in Kyrgyzstan at a conference for leaders in Central Asia. I will be posting regularly while traveling. Vladivostok, Russia July 13-16 The first stop on my teaching trip this summer is Vladovostok, Russia. Travel […]
Dr. John Oakes is teaching several Bible classes July 7-9 in Mexicali. The classes are on Malachi, James and a lesson on Acts 20–the farewell address by Paul. Power points and audio are enclosed. Clase Malaquías PPT Clase Malachias Audio Taller de Santiago PPT Taller de Santiago 1 Audio Taller de Santiago 2 Taller […]
Question: I have read several of your books that are available as eBooks and I have learned a lot from them. I look forward to the Christian Story Part 3. I have just finished From Shadow to Reality and have a question. This book answered many questions in an area I didn’t know much about before […]
Question: I have a question regarding how Christians are supposed to solve the identity politics problem that seems to have seeped into our societies. Almost every day a celebrity or politician makes a comment about race and politics. How can we solve this issue as Christians, and leave a positive legacy for our children? I […]
Comment: I googled “Is Darius the Mede real?” and your article was #1 on the list. https://evidenceforchristianity.org/if-darius-the-mede-daniel-6-is-a-real-person-why-does-the-cambridge-history-of-judaism-not-mention-him-as-it-lists-all-the-rulers-of-bablyon-after-the-persian-conquest/ But your article did not have the amazing and powerful evidence that is now available. So I want to share it with you. You can talk directly to the author of the book himself (I recommend it) to […]
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Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon 8/10/18 in San Diego on Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6 sermon...
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon focusing on the way the early church helped one another and the community around them, and how crucial that was to the growth of the church. The sermon also deals with the Christian response to suffering versus other world views. Acts Meeting Needs Audio ...
Question: In Leviticus God tells the Jews not to eat winged insects which fly. Why, then, did John the Baptist eat unclean locusts and honey in the desert? Answer: About locusts being clean, Leviticus 11:20-23 addresses this issue. This passage declares all flying insects as unclean with the exception of those which walk and hop […]
Dr. John Oakes and Austin Ferel taught a lesson for teens at the San Diego teen camp on 6/17/18. The class was intended to help teens see through the religious confusion out there to understand that Jesus is literally the ONLY way to God. This is done through considering the claims of other religions, looking […]
One of the students in our Apologetics Certificate Program, Drew Tacher, has written a really nice paper for the course on Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormonism). The biography is good (if you want more, purchase my book on Mormonism, “Mormonism: What Does the Evidence […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon in San Diego 6/10/18 from the Book of Galatians. The theme is living by the Holy Spirit versus living by the obligation of the Law. The lesson focuses in on the fact that our freedom comes from having the Holy Spirit in us. Living by the flesh causes us […]
Question: Did the second coming of Jesus Christ occur invisibly in 1914, as claimed by the Jehovah Witness organization? Answer: The Jehovah Witness group is obviously wrong on this claim. The claim that Jesus came back in 1914 is clearly wrong biblically. If you look at the history of this claim, it will become even […]
The attached is a fairly detailed set of notes on the Book of Isaiah prepared by John Oakes and Carlos Vedovato. Please note that this outline is intended for use in group studies. It is largely composed of suggestive questions and parallel passages rather than a scholarly exegesis of the book. It may be useful […]
Question: What is the best way to study the Bible in depth? Do I have to learn Hebrew or even Greek? Answer: There is no single “best” way to study the Bible. Many different approaches can be helpful. You definitely do NOT have to know either Greek or Hebrew to have a very in-depth knowledge […]
Question: When was the Roman Catholic Church started and is their proof that Peter was the founder and the first Pope. Answer: I have already answered a similar question with regard to when the Roman Catholic Church started at the site. I am copying and pasting below. As for Peter, as far as I know, […]
After 34 years of teaching chemistry and physics, I am happy to announce my retirement. This means one thing, which is that I will have more time to write articles and books, travel to teach for churches and to produce materials for the EFC website. We are looking to upgrade the web site and hoping […]
Question: Esther 2:6 says Mordecai was captured and brought to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. That makes him a contemporary to Daniel yet he is Esther’s older cousin. Am I wrong about the timing? Please clear up the chronology for me. Thank you . Answer: Here is Esther 2:5-6. Now there was at the citadel in […]
Dr. John Oakes taught many lessons in Vladivostok, Ulan Bataar and Bishkek. Russian translation of the power points are included here. FreedominChrist Russian ppt Hebrews Russian PPT Shadow to Reality Russian PPT Christian World View Russian PPT
Dr. John Oakes taught many lessons in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan. The audio is included here. Freedom in Christ Japanese From Shadow to Reality Japanese Hard Questions Japanese Evidence Jesus Japan I Evidence Jesus Japan II Evidence Jesus Japan III God and Science Japanese Reliability of Bible Japanese...
Dr. John Oakes taught many lessons in Vladivostok, Ulan Bataar and Bishkek July, 2018. Each lesson is in English with Russian translation. Thanks so much to the translators. Freedom in Christ Russian Hebrews Russian 1 Hebrews Russian 2 Hebrews Russian 3 Christian World View Russian From Shadow to Reality Russian God and...
Can you prove Daniel 9 is about Jesus? Jeff: The word “prove” has a range of meaning. In a mathematics class or in a philosophy class it has the meaning of demonstrating with absolutely certainty that a particular proposition must be true. It is like proving the angles of an equilateral triangle are equal. In […]
Question: Is the Hebrew word “Lord” really a pagan title? I have come across teachings in books that claim to reveal the truth about Christianity’s pagan roots. Of course most of these sources claim to be Christian but they call themselves Messianic. I really think some of the things they teach are true but they […]
Question: I have a theological question. I want to hear your thoughts on “open theism”, the idea that God is all-knowing and all-powerful but that He can’t “see into the future” because it hasn’t happened yet. The idea came up when discussing the nature of God with my son. He is a teen and is […]
Question: I came across this forum on Reddit about the Old Testament. It says that it is mostly oral histories rather than detailed written histories. See the comment by BigBennP. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8k455b/there_are_two_places_that_i_know_of_in_the_bible/ He referenced Schinderman’s book that I’m quite familiar with. I’m not sure if this is correct. But if it is true, then I have to ask […]
Question: Why God has allowed the discovery of vaccines and antibiotics to cure illness? If diseases are punishment from God then if we cure them we go against the will of God who want to punish us. If vaccines and antibiotics are discovered because God want to bless us, then why did God contradict Himself […]
Question: In Colossians 4:16,Paul asks them to read a letter he wrote to the Laodiceans. Is this book available anywhere or is it permanently lost? Answer: That is one of the easier questions I have gotten. The answer is that this letter is lost. It is possible, but very unlikely, that this letter will surface. […]
Questions: I have some questions. 1- The first question is historical and about Saint Mark the writer of the second gospel. Do we have strong reasons to think that he really visited Egypt? I think the first to say that Mark visited Egypt was Eusebius. Do you think he really visited Egypt? In addition, What […]
We are excited to announce an addition to the materials available at this web site. Thanks to the help of my good friend Cory Wadstrom, we will now be hosting a regular podcast covering areas of Christian evidence, biblical studies, current topics and more. Our plan is to post every two weeks at first, hopefully […]
Question: Is the message below a correct understanding of the scripture with regard to a rapture/gathering of God’s people? [Editor’s note: A fairly lengthy and somewhat incoherent set of claims about a premillennial rapture is below. Normally, we would not put such stuff out there, but there are sufficient people who find themselves believing this […]
Question: I was studying this scripture: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” -1 John 4:18 I feel like this scripture contradicts verses in the Bible that say to fear God. For example: “Show […]
Question: I’ve been trying to find out if there is good evidence for the evolution of human creativity. All I’ve been able to find is the usual stuff about how apes have made so-called tools, and the story of Congo, who’s art (also so-called) sold in the 1960’s however these arguments are extremely unconvincing. There […]
Question: If I understand correctly, God’s will is not always done. This is implied in the Lord’s prayer (in which Jesus prays, “your will be done”). To complete my understanding, we are also given the free will which may sometimes triumph over God’s will. When this happens and God allows it, I would assume that […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon on the importance of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Galatians. The title is living by the Law or Living by the Spirit. This is part of a five part series on the Holy Spirit. Galatians HS sermon audio...
Dr. John Oakes taught a 12 hour Old Testament Survey Class for the Ministry Training Program in San Diego April – May, 2018. OT Survey Audio 1 OT Survey Audio 2 OT Survey 3 OT Survey 4 OTSurvey 5 OT Survey 6 OT Survey 7 OTSurvey 8 ...
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon as an intro to a series on Acts in San Diego 4/29/8. The lesson focuses on the Holy Spirit in Acts, on the growth of the New Testament Church and on the elements of that amazing growth. The theme verse is Acts 1:8–to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends […]
Question: You said that there are several examples in the Bible in which God says that something is forever, yet the thing is replaced by something else. You claim that this is because the meaning of the word often translated as “forever” in the Bible means “forever, or until the end of the age.” Can […]
Question: I have a question regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Do we know if the disciple Christians fled to the mountains like Jesus advised or did they participate in the Jewish-Roman war? Mark 13:14-15 14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong– let the […]
Question: I have a question regarding the biblical history of humanity and the archaeological view which has been bugging me lately. Allow me to explain: In the early chapters of Genesis, there is evidence of human agricultural activity (Gen 2:15) (Gen 4:2) before the Tower of Babel incident which spread humanity across the face of the […]
Question: My questions are about authorship of the gospels. We know that the first man to say that the second gospel was written by Mark was Papias, However some skeptics say that it’s a long time between Mark (who may have died in 60s) and Papias (who may have been born at the same time). It’s […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a class on the Book of Colossians at the Catalyst conference in San Deigo 4/22/18. Notes, PPT and audio are attached. Christ Catalyst for Change Notes Christ Catalyst for Change PPT Christ Catalyst Colossians Audio
Question: I was reading your recent article on Hawking’s theory/speculation https://evidenceforchristianity.org/steven-hawking-proposed-spontaneous-quantum-creation-of-the-universe-your-thoughts-on-this/ For one with a non-physics background like myself, most of us would equate vacuum in space with nothingness. That is why the question was posed to you and even why Hawking (I’m actually surprised on this) concluded that a vacuum in space is nothingness. But in […]
Question: My question is about the book of Song of Songs. This book is always criticized by Muslims. They say that it is a sexy book especially chapter 7. Solomon describes the breasts, thighs… etc. Can this be the word of God? Christian apologists in my country always say that this book can’t be interpreted literally. It […]
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