Question: Greetings, What date or month was Jesus born? I know that many scholars say it was December. Is this true? Thank you very much. Answer: Because we know that Herod tried to have Jesus killed and because Herod died in 4BC, it is most likely that Jesus was born about 6BC plus or minus […]
Question: What do you think about the hypothesis that the resurrection was all based on hallucination, or mere subjective visions? Is this a strong theory? What is the best way to defeat this theory? Answer: Here are the undisputed facts: 1. Jesus was crucified by the Romans under Pontius PIlate in Jerusalem. 2. His tomb […]
Question: Does the Bible address the topic of the origin of demons? Are they spirits of the dead or spirits of the fallen angels? Alexander Campbell delivered a very learned lecture in Nashville, Tennessee on March 10, 1841, in which he, in rather persuasive fashion, argued the case that the demons of the ancient world were […]
We are reposting an article on a biblical and historical perspective of Christmas from 2007 for your enjoyment. Merry Christmas. John Oakes Question: Is Christmas a Christian Holiday? Answer: Christmas sure has taken a beating lately, seemingly from all sides. The secularists demand that we say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, while some believers have […]
Question: I have been struggling recently with wondering why God has done everything he has. Why did he decide to create the universe? Why did he make man? Why did he create angels and strange creatures to worship him all the time? Why create a son? And why choose that as the way to save […]
Question: Who is Melchizedek in the Bible? Is he Shem the son of Noah? I there any evidence about his geneology? Answer: Melchizedek is a somewhat enigmatic figure in the Bible. He only appears in Genesis, Psalms and Hebrews. He was a worshipper of Jehovah, but was not from Abraham’s family and, therefore, by […]
Question: Jews always criticize the Christian explanation of Daniel 9… https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ Can you prove that Daniel really spoke about Jesus in Daniel 9? Answer: I cannot “prove” that Daniel is talking about Jesus in Daniel 9. Such things do not allow for mathematical-type proofs. However, I can show sufficient evidence that any open-minded person would […]
Question: What is the meaning of the altar mentioned in (Hebrew 13 : 10)? Catholic and Orthodox Churches use this verse to prove that there is an altar in the New Testament–justifying their use of an altar in their worship, and the idea that the Eucharist is a sacrifice. In Arabic translations, the word altar […]
Question: Please tell me whether the concept of the “second death” means a complete disappearance or eternal torment in a lake of fire? Answer: I believe that the biblical “second death” is neither merely a complete disappearance, nor is it eternal torment in a literal lake of fire. First, I must address what Bible says about the […]
Question: How do we know the Bible, a collection of books and letters written of centuries, is the word of a deity? Answer: Given the amazing evidence for the inspiration of the Bible, the fact that it is a collection of writings written over many centuries makes it even more impressive. The Bible contains the […]
Question: Why are the twelve apostles all men? Answer: God does not tell us why all the apostles were men. To attempt an answer is to speculate, as God did not tell us his reasons. So…. My response is just my own opinion, and you should take that for what it is worth. There are […]
Question: I have a question regarding Mat 5:33-36 where Jesus forbids us to take oaths of any kind. Would this include pledges of allegiance to our nation, especially for immigrant Christians who would like to become American citizens? Answer: I believe you may be putting words into the mouth of the Jesus. He did not say that […]
Question: In Matthew 14:25-26, it looks like the disciples believed in ghosts, though Jesus never mentions it? Does the Bible validate or invalidate the existence of ghosts? Any evidence that ghosts roam the earth, haunt houses etc? Mat 14:25-26 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.26 When the disciples saw him […]
Question: I want to prove that the Bible was the first to say that the earth is round. I’m trying to find out the time when it was found out by science that the earth is round. Can you please help me to find out? Also I need to know when was Bible originally written? Was […]
Question: What was the oldest manuscript we had before the Dead Sea Scrolls? Was it the Aleppo Codex or Leningrad codex? If it is the Leningrad Codex, why do we compare the Aleppo codex with the Dead sea scrolls? Can you please give me the dates of these manuscripts? On the internet every site has a different […]
Question: My question is simple. Why did God send Jesus to us? I don’t want the most simple answer which would be to bring salvation to those who choose to have faith in Jesus. I would like to understand the deeper meaning. Should the answer begin in first understanding Romans 3:23-25? Specifically “in forbearance of […]
[Editor’s note: This question is coming from a person responding to Muslim claims that Jesus never claimed to be God] Question: I’d like to ask you 2 questions. 1 What’s your comment on the New World Translation of Zechariah 12:10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem […]
Question: Can you please explain the Trinity to me? Are there 3 Gods or 3 personalities in a God? I understand that there are 3 different persons. Is that wrong? If it is right, God says he won’t give his glory to anyone and we should never worship anybody other than God. But I pray to […]
Question: I was always taught that there is priesthood in the church in the New Testment, (because I grow in the coptic orthodox church) But a short time ago I read a book for a person named Ibrahim Elkhebty who said that there is no evidence that there is priesthood in the Bible. However, if there is no […]
Last weekend we brought together eight teachers from across the US for a conference on History, Archaeology and Christianity. We are really grateful to York College in York, Nebraska for hosting the conference. A few of the notes and power points from the conference are attached here. The audio is available through the membership option […]
Dr. John Oakes gave many lessons to eight different churches in India, Bangaladesh and Sri Lana Jan 5-22, 2017. From Shadow to Reality India Audio Existence of God DelhiAudio Reliability of the Bible Delhi Audio Marriage Divorceand Remarriage Delhi Audio Acts and Church History Delhi Audio Holy Spirit Delhi Audio Hebrews Living by Faith Audio Freedom in...
Question: Jesus said that if we don’t accept the kingdom like a child we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What did he mean by this statement?Also, when Jesus called himself Son of Man, what does that mean? Answer: When Jesus says that anyone entering the Kingdom must come into it like a child he […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon on the Grace of Giving as part of the Treasure Principle series at the San Diego Church of Christ 3/26/17. The series was originally given at the Johannesburg Church of Christ by Justin Renton....
Question: I have a question on Matthew 19:28. Does this passage mean that Paul will have to judge the people of Israel? When Judas killed himself they chose Matthias, but Paul was also an Apostle. In a commentary I read Barkley and McDonald claim that God approved the selection of Matthias through Zareba. In Acts […]
Question: What is your impression of the excavation of Christ’s tomb going on right now? Answer: No one knows exactly where Jesus’ tomb was, although archaeologists and Bible scholars have a general idea where to look. Besides, he was only there for three days and surely there would be no physical remains from his stay […]
[Editor’s note: The context of this question is a Christian in the Middle East who is having his faith attacked by a Muslim who claims that the Bible is corrupt and that we have no evidence that there were four gospels. Irenaeus said in the late second century that there were four gospels] Question: How […]
Question: How can I decide if a particular writing by one of the church fathers is authentic? I’m asking this question because critics [editor’s note: he is talking about Muslim critics of Christianity] criticize any writing, not only Irenaeus. They say, for example, that we don’t know who wrote the writings of Justin Martyr, Origen… […]
Dr. John Oakes gave a lesson for Proyecto Esdras in Mexico City on the sacrifices and festivals in the Covenant of Moses as prefigures of things in the New Testament. The Power Point is attached. John Oakes dio una leccion para el Proyecto Esdras en D. F sobre los sacrificios y festivales en el covenento […]
Dr. John Oakes will be making a teaching trip to India, Bangaladesh and Sri Lanka from Jan 5-23, 2017. We will be posting a journal, itinerary and lessons during the trip. Cities to be visited include New Dehli, Mumbai, Pune, Dhaka (Bangaladesh), Kolkatta, Bangalore, Chennai and Colombo (Sri Lanka). If you are able to attend […]
Question: Are Richard Dawkins points valid in his response against faith as the only way to morality? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgHoyTvyh4o [note: in this youtube video Dawkins claims that secular humanists have created a better kind of morality than religion] Answer: As usual for Richard Dawkins, he resorts to pure rhetoric and chooses to simply […]
Mark your calendar: Nov. 11-13 The Apologetics Research Society is excited to announce our tenth International Christian Evidences Conference. The theme will be the evidence from History and Archaeology which supports the reliability and the message of Old and New Testaments. The dates will be Nov 11-13. The conference will begin on Friday morning. Speakers […]
[Editor’s note: This question is coming from a believer who lives in the Middle East and is clearly receiving a lot of attacking questions from his Muslim friends. They are using rhetoric, false dilemmas and other logical fallacies to try to prove that the Bible is corrupt. This will explain why I get a bit […]
This ARS Christian Evidence conference was held at York College in York, Nebraska. Below is the audio from the conference as well as the schedule of the conference. Archaeology Mark Ziesse Archaeology and the Book of John Acts and Church History Oakes First Second and Third Quest for Jesus Kurka 2016 ICEC Forum If Christ Has...
[Editor’s Note: This is two different but similar questions from the same person, so I am joining them as one article. These questions concern letters from the church “Fathers” of the late first and the second century AD which help to inform us how the early church lived and what they taught.] Question: I’d like […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a new class on the controversial biblical topic of divorce and remarriage for the staff of the Delhi Church of Christ. Audio and notes are attached. Marriage and Divorce Notes Marriage Divorceand Remarriage Audio
Question: Was Haman the Agagite (Esther 3:1)an Amalekite (1 Samuel 15:32) or is it just a coincidence? Answer: I will admit that I am shamelessly copying and pasting from a Jewish web site, as I probably cannot improve on their knowledge. Apparently, Josephus agreed that Haman was an Amalekite. The veracity of some Jewish legends […]
Questions: Why would God even create a hell? Why will souls live eternally in damnation? If they don’t make it into heaven, their soul is destroyed. Also, I was reading on your site about Jesus and examples you give for believing He is the Messiah. One is His fulfillment of prophecy. One of the prophecies […]
Question: What is the evidence that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John really wrote the four gospels? I have searched and found that the oldest man (whose writings are available now) who said that the four gospels were written by these four men was Irenaeus. Irenaeus said that about 180 AD about a century after the […]
Question: I have a question about something in the Bible that bothers me. In Genesis 19, Angels come into Lots home. When under attack, Lot offers the men his daughters to, basically rape. I find this hard to understand? Is there any explanation to understand Lots mindset? Answer: I will have to say that this […]
[Editor’s note: This question is more personal than we normally post, but the person raises important questions so we are posting it, hoping that noone will be offended] Question: My question is why did you say that the Holy Catholic Church is “corrupt?” How is the Church, who brought the Holy Bible to the world, “corrupt? The […]
Question: Is thinking a physical process, or is it spiritual? Answer: I believe that the answer is that thinking is both physical and “spiritual.” One thing we can be sure of is that thinking is a physical process. This has been shown by experiment and our experience agrees with experiment. MRI (magnetic resonsance imaging) experiments […]
Question: I have recently moved from a church that taught things like tattoos are wrong, celebrating Halloween is wrong, kids dressing up in costumes (even unrelated to Halloween, and even if little girls dress up as princesses while having a tea party in her room) is wrong. I’m trying to reconcile some of the things […]
Question: Protestants such as myself use the Masoretic Text for the translation of our Bibles. However, the Eastern Orthodox Church uses the Septuagint, a Greek translation we get primarily from the three large codices: Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and Alexandrinus. How can I explain to someone why the Septuagint is good, but has problems (aside from the […]
Question: I understand why God is a jealous God, but is jealousy in and of itself sinful for us ? Answer: To me the question of jealosy in a Christian is somewhat similar to the question of anger in a Christian. God has anger (Exodus 32:10-11) and God has jealousy (Exodus 34:14). Therefore, by definition, […]
Dr. John Oakes is taught a five week series on The Reliability and Inspiration of the Bible on Saturdays in October, 2016. Class Outline is below. Notes, PPT and audio are attached. Reliability and Inspiration Notes Reliability and Inspiration PPT Reliability and Insp Audio I Reliability and Insp Audio II Reliability and Insp Audio III […]
Question: I am glad to be emailing you again on biblical matters. I found our conversations quite insightful. I wanted to ask you a question about the cause of disabilities per Exodus 4:11 and John 9:3 (about Jesus healing the man born blind). Some translations render the text in John as “this happened so that the works […]
Dr. John Oakes taught lessons on Daniel and Hebrews in Milwaukee this weekend. The outlines and power points are here. Hopefully, we will post he audio as well. Daniel Notes Daniel PPT Hebrews Notes Hebrews PPT
Question: Why has the Lord been silent the last 2000 or so years and not more involved with us? I realize the Holy Spirit is at the helm so to speak since Pentecost…but it would be refreshing to actually have the Lord with us without the veil hiding Him at this time. Like the bible […]
Dr. Jack Cotrell gave a ten-hour class on the Meaning of Baptism for the Apologetics Research Society in Los Angeles September, 2016. Outline and audio are attached. Meaning of Baptism Syllabus Meaning of Baptism Audio Part 1 Meaning of Baptism Audio Part 2 Meaning of Baptism Part 3 Audio Meaning of Baptism Audio Part...
Question: I’ve searched your site regarding marijuana use, and have found a few articles. However, they are a bit dated, and I’m wondering if you have any updated information given its current legal status in some states – and pending legal status in California. My husband and I lead a group where two women smoke […]
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