Dr. John Oakes – Page 49 – Evidence for Christianity

Can you give me some material on prophecies in the Old Testament which are not Messianic, such as about the Assyrians and Babylonians?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Questoin: I’m studying the book of Isaiah. When you look at the historical background of Isaiah, there are non-Messianic prophecies that were fulfilled, as the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions of Israel and Judah. Could you please write about these? Response: I have written some about prophecies in the Old Testament fulfilled before New Testament times already in my […]

Is the practice of a pastor laying on hands and the person falls backward biblical?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

QUESTION: Many congregations are attracted by the act of falling backwards when Pastors lay hands on them to pray. Generally these falls fail to bring-forth any results either. Is this act Biblical? Answer: There is obviously no mention in the Bible of what is sometimes called “slaying in the Spirit” in Charismatic churches. As far […]

What does "this water" refer to and what does it symbolize in 1 Peter 3:20-21?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

QUESTION: In 1 Peter 3:20 – 21 the Bible says “this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also.” What is Peter referring to ? What is “This water”? and what does it symbolize? Answer: “This water” is a reference to the water of the flood. The same whater which deluged the world and destroyed […]

Class on the Book of John

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Announcements, Articles, Bible, Bible Teaching, PowerPoints .

Robert Carrillo and Dr. John Oakes taught a six week class on the writings of John. The class was on Saturdays 10/6,13,27, 11/4,11 and 1/26/2013 at the Mission Center of Hope 6162 Mission Gorge Rd., San Diego, CA 92120. For more information, contact Jan Oakes at joakes01@san.rr.com or 858-505-8841. Schedule and recommended reading below. Recordings are now in the […]

Is it sinful to use observation, logic and reason in our lives, rather than trusting in God?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: The question I have is about the treatment of the Israelites in the wilderness and how it applies to the Christian walk. It seems that God did not equip the Israelites sifficiently for battle compared to the major cities they were up against. He also gave them the same food everyday. A reasonable person […]

If we interpret the scripture by good hermeneutics, we should always come to a single conclusion, right?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

Question: I want to ask about how to interpret scripture correctly. Why do people end up having different conclusions when they study the Scripture? For example, some people think that the creation account was not made in 7-24 hour days. Also, in 1 John 1:1 some say that John is trying to explain the existence […]

How do we "give it all" to God if he already owns everything?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: How do you give it all to God if he owns everything? Answer: A really fair and reasonable question. God gives us free will. He gives us sovereignty over the things in our immediate sphere and in our lives. He gives us “ownership” over our time, over what we think about, over what we possess, […]

What are the five "schools" of biblical interpretation of Fee and Stuart? Which is best for interpreting the book of Revelation?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

QUESTION: According to Fee & Stuart, there are at least five major school of interpretation of scripture. What are they? Which do you prefer or which is more helpful to have a sound interpretation for the book of Revelation? And why are there such different schools of interpretation? Isn’t it possible to have one school […]

A Survey of World Views

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Articles, Other Religions, Theology, World View .

What do you think about the Westboro Church and their response to the Newtown tragedy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Social Issues, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I was reading about the Westboro Baptist Church protesting at the Newtown, Conn. funeral that was held for the slaying of the 20 children and 6 adults. The church was “giving praise to God for executing His judgement” in reference to Connecticut’s promotion of gay marriage. At first, I was abhorred by this, considering […]

How do I find the most accurate meaning of the original text of the Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General .

Question: I have a question about how to get the best meaning from the context of the Bible (How to understand what the writer’s intent was). I was wondering since no Bible translation is perfect, is it good to get a Hebrew and Greek interlinear Bible? I have used one from a download online called Scripture4all. […]

Did Adam and Eve really exist? What about wiki answer's statements?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, Bible Interpretation, Creation, General, Science and the Bible .

Question: Did Adam and Eve really exist? Some say they have disproved their existence. I have seen this claimed many times. For example, on wiki answers they say that the Bible does not contain the earth rotating on its axis. But we can look at what God said in the book of Job (38:12-14) “Have you […]

What did Jesus mean "The last will be first and the first will be last."?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

Question: What did Jesus mean when he said that “the last will be first and the first will be last” in Mat. 20:16? Who he is talking about? Answer: He means that those who seek to lift themselves up will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be lifted up. This idea is repeated […]

Is God loving if he sends people to hell who never heard the gospel? What about James 2:14-26? I am confused about salvation by grace or by works.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Questions: I have been considering a full time life in missions in a third world country and had some questions I thought you could answer related to what I think may seem contradictory or unjust in the Bible. I have had some experience with “gospel friends” or people I try to teach Christ to currently. […]

An atheist friend challenges belief in God because prayers go unanswered, even if the one praying is sincere and asks continually.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I have a question from an atheist ex-Christian. Regarding John 14:12-14, my friend asks me why so many prayers go unanswered? Basically he’s using the premises from this page: http://godisimaginary.com/i1.htm . He also claims time is not a factor, if we wait long enough, prayer will not be answered also (I guess he means when […]

How do I respond to a New-Age friend who says Jesus had many incarnations (supporting the idea that all religions are a way to God)?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Philosophy .

Question: I have had a discussion with a New-Age friend. Jesus is the only way to God (as opposed to New-age belief many roads lead to God) mainly based on Jesus’ statement in John 14:6. and also from Acts 4:12. My New-ager friend is aware of these passages and asks “How do you know that Jesus hasn’t […]

Why would God tell the Jews that certain kinds of meat are unclean or even detestable, only to change his mind and say they are clean in the New Testament?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Reliability of the Bible, Science and the Bible .

Question: I would like to claim that God is consistent in everything but I wonder why an eternal God outside of time would use pretty strong language such as “detestable” and “unclean” denouncing certain foods (Leviticus 11) and then decide to change it and say everything is clean (Acts 10) in the New Testament. Why […]

What is the result on the doctrine of Original Sin if we accept theistic evolution?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, Creation, General, Science and the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: First, let me just say I love your website. It is one of the few Christian websites I know of that answers such difficult questions and so many of them. To the heart of the matter: I understand you are a theistic evolutionist and I am wondering how the Doctrine of Original Sin fits […]

How should I understand Rev 2:28 which says we will receive the morning star when Jesus himself is the morning star?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General .

QUESTION: How should I understand what Jesus said in Revelation 2:28 when he said that he will give those who are victorious the morning star when he is the morning star? Answer: I assume you are aware that Revelation is written in a highly symbolic style. As a rule, we should not take what is […]

What does Revelation 21:8 mean when it says that the wicked will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

QUESTION: What does Revelation 21: 8 means when it says that the wicked will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur? Are the souls to be punished there eventually going to vanish? Answer: The meaning of Revelation 21:8 is that those who rebel against God and refuse to accept his love and salvation […]

Why would Jesus turn water into wine at a wedding if it helped people to get drunk?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: So many people in the OT times needed salvation, the same way we need it today. We have the privilege of salvation. But why do we have it, and they didn’t have it? I have heard that question several times but couldn’t really answer people except for “But when the fullness of time had […]

Help! I am a Christian who is close to converting to Nihilism due to issues about evolution!

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, Creation, General, Science and the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

QUESTION: I know that you are probably busy but I hope you can answer some of my concerns. I am currently a Christian bordering on converting to Nihilism. I grew up believing in God creating everything as per the Genesis account even though I believed in an old universe. I believed that God physically created […]

If Adam be Razed, is Our Faith in Vain?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Articles, Bible and Science, Creation, Philosophy, Theology, World View .

Editor’s note. This article was recently published by Dr. Robert Kurka, a professor at Linconln Christian University and a good friend of us at ARS. He carefully discusses the theological and biblical implications of recent evidence from biology with respect to the origin of human beings. If Adam Be Razed

How can I share the gospel in a simple manner with a friend who is a Hindu, but not a strong believer?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions .

QUESTION: Can you please tell me how to share the gospel in a simple manner? My friend is a Hindu but does nt particularly believe in it Answer: My experience tells me that most Hidus respect Jesus, but do not understand who he was and what he said about himself. You should start with theatcommon […]

Is celebrating birthdays biblical?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity .

QUESTION: Is it biblical to celebrate our birthdays? I think that birthdays must have been counted by the Jews and that is why we know how old everyone was. My question is whether it is right to celebrate birthdays – parties and gifts etc. The only two birthdays mentioned in the Bible both had a bad […]

Why did God wait for millions of years after creation to create man?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Philosophy, Science and the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

QUESTION: I was reading your questions and answers section and it got me thinking… Is there anyway of knowing why God would create the world and not create man until millions of years later? What would be the point? Just curious, and maybe that is something I will have to wait to ask God when […]

Why did John bother to baptize if it did not result in receiving the Holy Spirit?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

QUESTION: I am wondering – why did John bother baptizing people if they were not receiving the Holy Spirit?… Answer: Interesting that we just studied this topic in the Bible group at my house this evening. According to Mark 1:4 the baptism of John was a baptism “of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” It might […]

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General .

QUESTION: In Revelation chapters 2 & 3, there are 7 churches mentioned. Is there any reason why these particular churches were included in the list? Why only seven? Are they the only churches that was persecuted by the emperor that time? Why were the church in Rome or Jerusalem or other churches that we commonly know in New […]

Can you debunk the "Ring of Power" claims with evidence from outside the Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, History .

Question: What i’m looking for is any info. to debunk “Ring of Power” outside of the scriptures. They say Abraham is Amenemhet 1st. and Moses is Thutmoses 3rd and Jacob is Jakububher(1655 to 1646 B.C.) and King David is really Psusemes(1039 to 911B.C.) and King Solomon is really the son of Psusemes (Simion?). They say […]

How dare you ascribe such rubbish to God as having God defecate or urinate in his clothes or come out of a mother's womb?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

MESSAGE: How could Jesus be GOD even though he used to defecate in his clothes when he was an infant? How could Jesus be GOD even though he used to urinate in his clothes when he was an infant? How could Jesus be GOD even though he could NOT even walk properly when he was […]

What can I say to a Hindu friend who practices idolatry who says that the Christian use of the cross is the same thing?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions .

QUESTION: When I told my friend who is a Hindu that idolatry is wrong, she said that as we Christians take the cross as our representation we take a idol and worship it. How am I supposed to answer such a question? Although its not the cross itself that we worship, but it represents faith in […]

Can we trust the scholar Bart Ehrman's conclusions? What about yours? How do I know?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, General Apologetics, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: (editor’s note: This question is a follow-up to earlier ones. Some unedited earlier correspondence is below) I am now starting to have more confidence in the Scripture, and starting to see truth from error. So you’re saying Prof. Ehrman is on one side and that side is to work against God, and this is […]

Why do so many ancient cultures have teachings about sacrifices–even before the sacrificial system in Exodus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, General .

Question: I have a question regarding the history of sacrificial systems and hope you will be able to answer it. I generally understand the aspects of sacrificial system and partial reason that was established because of the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice. However, I was wondering about sacrificial system in general, its roots and human ideas about […]

What is your response to Bart Ehrman's critique of biblical reliability and the deity of Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I just want to give you this link and see if you can answer some of the claims Ehrman has. This video was the reason I started to have doubts in my faith. Could you maybe give some information on the claims in this audio? I am farther in my faith now, thanks to your explanations! It seems […]

What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 about women and hair?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General .

Question: Hope you are keeping well. I had a look into 1Cor11 about women shaving their hair. I do not understand 1Cor11:2-16. Does it mean women should not shave their hair? Someone said to me Paul was making sure that women in the church don’t look like prostitutes who at that time shaved their hair. However […]

How do you explain the fact that the prophecy in Ezekiel 29:17-20 about Nebuchadnezzar and Egypt was not fulfilled?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: If the Bible is correct then why did the prophecy in Ezekiel 29:17-20 fail? We know that Ezekiel made this prophecy in about 571 BC, and Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Egypt in 568 BC failed? Nebuchadnezzar was suppose to conquer Egypt according to those verses – “Behold, I will GIVE the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar […]

What is the name of the person who received the message of Jesus from Theophilus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: What is the name of the person who received the message of Jesus from Theophilus? Editor’s note: This letter is coming from a Muslim who is trying to show that one cannot trust Luke because we do not even know who the book was written to. This will explain some of the answer below. […]

I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that GOD and his son are ONE GOD.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Challenge: I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that GOD and his son are ONE GOD. This is something you can NEVER do. Be a man and accept my CHALLENGE. HOW CAN GOD AND HIS SON BE ONE GOD? Response: I am sorry, but I get the very strong sense that you simply want to […]

A brief comment on the new book on Mormonism at www.ipibooks.com

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Announcements, Articles .

I just wanted to let you know – I started reading up on Mormonism last year and spent about 4 hours on it with our staff as part of a World Religions class in May 2011. I picked up your book and am about 80% through it… you did a fantastic job on it. I […]

What is your response to Astro-theology?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: The fad of Astro-theology is really starting to take a hold with some ex-Christians and other people I know who’ve studied the Bible but never became Christians. Here is the Facebook post from someone who has left Christianity. This is going to be a new form of false theology that many in our ministries is going to […]

What is the biblical definition of faith?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Practical Christianity .

Question: A thing I am really confused on is when I look at the definition of faith in my Bible it says trust in or reliance upon something or someone despite a lack of concrete proof. But there are some different definitions of the word like my dictionary on my computer says a complete trust or confidence in someone or […]

Was John 5:3b-4 in the original Gospel of John? If not, how should I think about that?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General .

Question: One thing I have come across is that in John chapter 5, where it talks about the healing at the pool on the Sabbath, older translations say in verse 4 “for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water”. I am very convinced that […]

Which is the best translation of the Bible? Are there any mistakes in the manuscripts?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General Apologetics, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Since the orignial writings where inspired by God, but we can’t have the 100% perfect translation what would be the best Bible to read that would be closest to the Greek and Hebrew text? What is different between the the manuscripts we have compared to the original writings? Any numbers wrong ? Are there any […]

Is Esther a prefigure of Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Types, Uncategorized .

Editor’s Note: This is included, more because of the interesting and helpful comment from the one who wrote than because of the comments we had to make to her. Question: I just wanted to say thank you for all the time you put into writing Shadow to Reality. listened to a message you recorded on […]

Does Philippians 2:3 (no selfish ambition) contradict Philippians 1:15-18, which praises people who preach out of selfish ambition?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Reliability of the Bible .

QUESTION: I have a question concerning the following passage: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing […]

What is the difference between postmillenialism, premillenialism and amillenialism, and which is the more biblical view?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General .

QUESTION: What are the differences between premillenialism, postmillenialism, and amillenialism? What is the most biblical view among the three? Do they have similarities? Answer: Postmillenialism, premillenialism and amilenialism are three views of eschatology, which is a fancy way of saying they are views of the nature of end-times. Arguably, postmillenialism and premillenialism are more similar, […]

Why is the Holy Spirit not active today as during the Old and New Testaments?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles .

Question: The Holy Spirit was pretty active during the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Seems the Holy Spirit has not been very active in past 2000 years. Your thoughts on this? Am I wrong in thinking this? Answer: The Holy Spirit has been extremely busy the past two thousand years–convicting people of sin, […]

Review of the 2012 ICEC UCLA

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Articles .

See below for a review of the 2012 Christian Evidence Conference

Can a person be the gospel as Francis of Assisi said?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I’ve seen the article below posted in a social networking site. it concludes that we cannot live or show the gospel which for me is misleading. I think the problem in this article is how it defines the word “gospel”. Can you help me define further the word “Gospel”? Its Greek definition, where it […]

What do you think about G. Edward Griffin's theories about where Noah's ark is located?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, The Flood .

Question: I wanted to get back to you about a synopsis of “The Discovery of Noah’s Ark” by G. Edward Griffin. (a low quality version is available on you tube) because it raises some valid points regarding the possible remains of a large, vessel. This one NOT on Mt. Ararat, but rather about 18 miles south. […]