Question: I am finding it difficult to accept the concept that one could actually have an intimate relationship with God. God in His most simplistic definition is invisible and an immaterial being, additionally why would the very creator of the universe speak a human language. Isn’t that a hint the mankind has formed and molded […]
Although we at ARS do not agree with everything said by the group biologos, we believe the article below provides useful perspective on the history of Christian views of the creation accounts in Genesis 1 and 2. https://biologos.org/questions/early-interpretations-of-genesis will be helpful
One of the most significant Greek New Testament manuscript finds of all time was revealed in a recent article in CNN http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/living/gospel-mummy-mask/ . If confirmed, then this will be a game-changer in the way it supports by physical evidence the early date of the writing of the gospels. As will all such claims, it is wise […]
Question: What are the “Powers of the Age to Come”? Answer: I assume that you are quoting from Hebrews 6:5. In context, he is talking about what happens to those who have become Christians but who later fall away. To describe those who have been saved, he talks about “those who have once been enlightened […]
Question: Can you speak on ancient Kemetic religion versus Christianity? Is there any connection between the two? Was one inspired by the other? Answer: I do not know very much about the Kemetic religion. Apparently, it is a modern phenomenon. There is no evidence of Kemetism before the 1970s. I already said that I do […]
Question: My college friend started to study the Bible and started really well. In fact, she quit her job (she’s a CPA) when she realized it was causing her to sin without us challenging her. But she suddenly sent me a message saying she will no longer attend the service and will not continue to […]
This is a short, one-hour class on types, prefigures and foreshadows of Jesus in the Old Testament taught by Dr. John Oakes in Spokane, Washington, September, 2014. Material is taken from Dr. Oakes’ book From Shadow to Reality, available at www.ipibooks.com. This class focuses principally on historical foreshadows, with some material on personal prefigures...
This is a one hour class on the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians, taught by Dr. John Oakes in September, 2014 in Spokane, Washington. The class challenges the hearers to be aware of how the Holy Spirit works and how we can be in step with the Spirit. The Holy...
This is a one hour class taught by Dr. John Oakes in Spokane, Washington September, 2015 on history, archaeology and the Bible. The class shows that the Bible is the most accurate historical record in the ancient world, as is supported by dozens of archaeological and historical discoveries. History, Archaeology and the Bible: Spokane...
This is a one hour lesson on the proper use of Christian freedom which emphasizes using our personal gift(s) from God to serve the church and the world. It was taught by Dr. John Oakes in Spokane, Washington September, 2014. The material is taken from John Oakes’ book Golden Rule Membership www.ipibooks.com Freedom in Christ...
This is a one hour lesson on Faith, based on Hebrews Chapter 11 taught by Dr. John Oakes. The class was taught in Port Elizabeth, South Africa January, 2015. The theme is that faith is belief in things unseen–that it requires that we deny our senses. Living by Faith Port Elizabeth...
This lesson was taught by Dr. John Oakes in Harare, Zimbabwe, January, 2015 on the Kingdom of God. It is a one hour 15 minute lesson. The lesson covers 35 points on the theme The kingdom of God is…. and The kingdom of God is not…. The Kingdom of God Harare...
This is a two hour lesson taught by John Oakes January, 2015 in Capetown, South Africa on types, prefigures and foreshadows of Jesus and the Gospel in the Old Testament. The material comes from John’s book From Shadow to Reality. From Shadow to Reality Capetown...
This is a two hour class on the Book of Acts in Durban, South Africa in January, 2015, focusing on the factors which led to the miraculous growth of the early church, pulling several examples from Church History to illustrate those factors, such as personal contact with Jesus, indisputable evidence, ethical superiority, intellectual triumph and...
This is a one hour 15 minute lesson on the book of Daniel given by Dr. John Oakes January, 2015 in Harare, Zimbabwe. It focuses principally on the interpretation of the prophetic visions of the book, but also on the practical teaching of the book. Daniel, Harare...
Question: I want to ask whether circumcision is a prefigure of baptism? A passage from the Bible, 1 Peter 3:20-21, seemingly says that the prefigure of baptism were the events in the days of Noah. On the other hand, Colossians 2:11-14 implies that circumcision was a prefigure of baptism. Can it be considered a prefigure […]
Question: An argument that is used by atheists comes from the situation concerning Pilate, Judas and others associated with condemning Jesus to be crucified. The point that is made is that none of these people had a choice in what they would or would not do. If any of these had changed what they were […]
Questions: I have a couple of general questions below I wanted to ask: 1.) How can Jesus be a Divine Person when He had a literal human body made of flesh. Wouldn’t His fleshly body violate His divine nature and status? 2.) Why did Jesus have to be a male in physical terms to begin […]
[Editor’s note: The comment and response below are a follow-up to an earlier question and answer in which some terminology produced a bit of a miscommunication. For completeness, the original exchange is below this comment and response.] Comment: I was at a roundtable discussion that included Denis Lamoreaux. I definitely aggree with his thinking on evolution. But […]
Question: My son asked me a question which I didn’t really know how to answer. Is the Sabbath the day we are to go to church and worship together? Or is the Sabbath the day we rest? One of his co-workers told him that Saturday is the day we are supposed to go to church […]
This is the first of a three part series on the Book of Mark taught by Dr. John Oakes and Robert Carrillo in San Diego for the Church staff of the San Diego Church of Christ February and March, 2015. Gospel of Mark Notes Mark PPT Mark Part I […]
Robert Carrillo and Dr. John Oakes taught a class on Christian Theology in San Diego in the fall of 2011. The audio for the last three classes is attached. Christian Theology PartIV Christian Theology Part V Christian Theology Part VI
Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a three-part class, along with Robert Carrillo, on the Book of Mark in San Diego, California Feb. 6, 20 and March 6, 2015. This series will not be open to the public, but the audio, notes and power point will be made available at the web site after the […]
Dr. John Oakes will be doing a teaching weekend May 1-3 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There will be an evangelistic event on Friday evening: God and Science, an in-depth Bible class on Daniel on Saturday and an evangelistic sermon for the Vancouver Church of Christ on Sunday. For locations or more information, contact Brian […]
Question: Is there historical evidence that the apostle Paul was a real person? Posted on May 12, 2013 by John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Questions and Answers, Reliability of the Bible. You gave no evidence for Paul being a real person. I’ve searched and have yet to find any historical information outside of […]
Question: Why does the church follow the doctrine of the divine right of kings, in this country (USA) ? The founding fathers established a government based on limited government and a free market economy. Did the first century church believe in no king but king Jesus ? [editor’s note: This question included a […]
Question: I understand that since the terms used for God are masculine in the Hebrew language this is most likely the reason why God is perceived as a Father. Is it possible that since Israel was a patriarchal society that God being perceived as a male was a manipulation done by way of the men […]
Question: What does a Christian do when he or she can not see the evidence of God’s love in their daily lives? I have been told to understand that the air I breath or the daily food I can eat is an act of love from God. But these basic necessities can be given by […]
Question: In John 3:13 Jesus tells us that “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven-the Son of Man.” My question to what Jesus tells us is what happened to those who came and died before Jesus? Also going further into verse 14-15 where it says “Just as Moses […]
Question: How do you know for sure that the Bible and Jesus is really the truth of God? – I was a Christian for a long time , not just religious. I thought I was a born again and experienced things but nowadays some things (Objective info from psychology, learning about suffering, etc.) brought doubts […]
Question: Can you comment on the Cepher Bible translation and the claims that I have heard that it is the most accurate as well as the most complete Bible translation available today? Answer: This is a fairly obscure translation of the Bible which was published quite recently. I have not used it (or even seen […]
Question: I have a question on God’s will. Romans 12:2 and many other passages suggest that doing God’s will can be pleasant, pleasing and perfect, yet It was incredibly hard even for Jesus to do God’s will. Also there are many passages that suggest that doing God’s will entails suffering and hardship. How do we […]
Question: I have been guilty of skipping over the Old Testament but am reading it now with renewed vigor. I love that I can now search for Jesus in the old testament as well. My problem comes in with Jesus’ teaching about the greatest commandment being that we must “love God with all our hearts”. […]
Editor’s note: The comment below comes from a Muslim who does not believe in Jesus. Comment: Acts 4:25 to 27 and psalm 2. God was angry with them because they plotted against his messiah. This means God did not want them to plot against his messiah. This means God did not send his messiah to […]
Question: Hello Dr. Oakes, I am studying the bible with a friend of mine that is Hindu. He is not very devout in his faith (he grew up in America most of his life and has never really grown into his beliefs). He was introduced to Jesus about a year and a half ago as […]
Question: In the works of Celsus recorded by Origen, Celsus tells of a Jew he obtained certain information from concerning the possibility that Mary was impregnated by a solider named Panthera. In addition the Talmud records an individual named Jesus ben Pandera or Pandira. Does this affirm that the Jews knew who Jesus’ biological father […]
Question: Do DNA tests prove Jesus had two human parents? Recently the Shroud of Turin has been re-dated within the range of 300 BC to 300 AD. As a result the blood found on the Shroud was type AB, and had both X and Y chromosomes. Where did the Y chromosome come from? If God […]
Editor’s note: This Q & A was of sufficient interest, that I have decided to post it as an article as well. Question: If evolution and abiogenesis have simply naturalistic explanations behind the origins and development of life itself, then wouldn’t this replace any need for a god? Abiogenesis for example gives forth purely scientific and […]
Question: If evolution and abiogenesis have simply naturalistic explanations behind the origins and development of life itself, then wouldn’t this replace any need for a god? Abiogenesis for example gives forth purely scientific and naturalistic reasons behind how life came into existence, why at this point would there be a need for such a deity? Same […]
Question: I believe my interpretation of the Bible comes from the Holy spirit not from man. Man may speak words but I think the Holy.spirit opens our hearts to hear his word. I have a hard time with people that say Gods word says such and such which it does but His word also is […]
Question: I was so grateful for your sermon yesterday in the Cape Town church. I was wondering how you would assist someone who comes from the quantum physics background to believe the Bible. In particular my friend adheres to the teachings of Bruce Lipton “The Biology of Belief”? Answer: Bruce Lipton is a well-qualified molecular […]
John Oakes has been traveling in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Below are some of the audios as well as some notes and power points for the lessons on this teaching trip. Daniel audio Harare Daniel PPT Kingdom of God audio Harare Kingdom of God notes Living by Faith audio Harare Living by […]
Question: Dr. Oakes, I have a question about Isaiah 11. I understand that the chapter is a messianic prophecy, but how do you interpret verse 14? Is it fair to say that this would conjure up images of a restored kingdom of Israel (God) and is symbolic of the breaking in of the kingdom in the […]
Question: (editor’s note: this question has to do with a Setswana (Botswana) translation of the Bible, as I just finished visiting there) Hi John. Obviously this is a very bad translation but I thought it would be interesting for you to see it. I have read translations that make better sense but please let […]
I have passed through Windhoek, Namibia, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth Durban and Johannesburg, and am heading back to San Diego. The final report is posted below. John Oakes Picture is from the monument to the tribal leaders who achieved independence for Botswana from the UK in 1966.
Dr. John Oakes will be teaching a class titled “Evidence for Jesus” at the Mission Center of Hope in San Diego, CA on six consecutive Saturdays beginning Saturday Feb 21, 2015 from 9:00-10:30. The audio, notes and power point will be posted at the web site. Cost: $20, which included light refreshments. The […]
Question: I recently saw a question you answered in August of 2013 regarding the Left Behind movie remake. In it you remarked that there was not so much as a hint to support the idea that Left Behind teaches about the Rapture, that non-believers will be left behind on the earth. How can you say […]
Dr. John Oakes will be traveling to teach for churches in Harare, Zimbabwe, Gaboronne, Botswana, Windhoek, Namibia and in Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesberg, South Africa Jan 2-19. He will be posting updates on his travels and experiences visiting churches in these cities at this web site, on Twitter (@evidence4christ) and on Facebook.
Question: A religious friend of mine shared this with me. Basically a “theologian” friend of hers wrote it showing “support” for Jesus actually being born on December 25th. “Why do we celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th? Dec. 25 was chosen because the 25th of the 12th month (Chislev) is the first day of […]
Question: Did the concept of punishment and judgement in Christianity originate from the teachings of Plato as expressed in this article? Thanks http://www.bibleorigins.net/millenium.html Answer: The simple answer to this question is no, the concept of punishment and judgment in Christianity did not originate with Plato. This idea came to Christianity from God–the one who […]
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