QUESTION: What do you believe about a random “Super Spiritual” (I say this loosely) guy comes up to you and tries to look into your life and tell you about your future? So what I am asking is do you believe in people being able to prophesy about your life (like Agabus or Barnabus who […]
Question: I am concerned because my study of the Bible may have led me to reach a doctrinal position that differs from that of the church I am part of. It seems to me that when someone has a good view of the whole story of the Bible there are two ways that people respond. […]
Question: During a recent discussion with some fellow Christians the topic of the teacher came up. A leader quoted Jesus’s statement in the Bible in Mat 23:8-10 to say that teachers are not required. Here is the relevant passage: “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for one is your teacher, the Christ, and you […]
Question: I really want to know something about you: Do the colleagues that you work with as a professional scientist know you are a Christian? If so, what do they think? What advice can you give to Christians who want to enter the field of science? I really would appreciate anything you can give me. […]
QUESTION: A few sections of Ezra (4:8-6:18;7:12-26) and Daniel (2:4b-7:28) are written in Aramaic. From some of the research that I have read I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s most likely “Official Aramaic”, however I can’t seem to find a good reason why the author would write in Aramaic and Hebrew. I was wondering […]
Question: An article appeared in Yahoo a day or two ago. It quotes theoretical cosmologist Sean Carroll. Here is the article detail: Will Science Someday Rule Out the Possibility of God? By Natalie Wolchover | LiveScience.com Here is the core section shared by Carroll: Carroll argues that God’s sphere of influence has shrunk drastically in modern […]
Question: I have been reading your book Daniel : a prophet to the nations and I found it to be very educational. However, I sent a part of the book about premillenialism to a premillenialist. I thought it would be proper to get a response to some of the questions you raised and that I […]
A Harvard professor recently announced what she called evidence that the early church, or at least sectors of it, believed that Jesus was married. Not surprisingly, a question about this came to the web site within hours. The question and answer are below.
QUESTION: I read this article and wondering is it true?? Here is the link: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/14893067/early-christians-believed-jesus-wed-harvard-expert/ Answer: The article is “true” in the sense that a fourth century papyrus with seven partial lines of script in the Coptic language was found. It is also true in the sense that the papyrus manuscript has a phrase “Jesus said […]
Question: I know Yahoo Answers isn’t a very reliable source, so I am asking you about an answer that was there. Someone commented on a question that was asked. The question was ” Where were the Gospels written?” One of the answers was “Tons of people compiled, copied and translated and edited the gospels all […]
QUESTION: I’ve had a question that has really troubled me. Why is it that God would want us to be upset & regret Jesus dying on the Cross for our sins when his sacrifice was apart of God’s eternal plan in the first place? In other words, how could we feel “cut to the heart” […]
ARS, together with the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, are putting on a one day conference designed primarily for university students and singles. The event includes a “Dialogue With a Skeptic” between Douglas Jacoby and Michael Shermer. To pre-register (cost $5) go to http://laicc.org/resources/answers See below for more information. We will be having a follow-up event […]
QUESTION: Why do you think David uses gruesome imagery for righteous victors over wicked foes in the following verses? Psalm 58:10 “The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.”Psalm 68:23 “that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while […]
See below for a recommendation we recently received for The Christian Story: Finding the Church in Church History.
QUESTION: I realize there may be speculation on an answer for this question. However, in Exodus how were Pharaoh’s sorcerers able to turn their staff into snakes just like when Aaron threw down his staff? Could this be Satan and if so does he really have this kind of power. I believe the Exodus accounts […]
Question: Many people cite Isaiah 17 as further evidence of a coming Armageddon. In current news, syria (and damascus ) do have an internal war going on. Verse 4-6 seem to imply Israel will be attacked or face a consequence related to the destruction damascus, concurrently. My question is: Has the destruction of Damascus happened […]
Dr John Oakes taught a class titled Living By Faith in Las Vegas 9/9/2012. It is an exposition on Hebrews 11, with the theme that faith is belief in things unseen. Living By Faith PPT Living By Faith Notes
Dr. John Oakes taught a lesson for teens on the Christian World View and the Christian answer to the most common hard questions which all human beings ask. Why is there evil? Why is there suffering? Why does God allow killing of nations in the Old Testament? Why did God make hell? PPT Answering the Hard […]
Quetion: A fellow Christian recently asked me this question. His worry is rewriting worldly music and performing it in church. It can remind the church of those songs real words and or meanings and the worldliness of the artist who originally wrote them. Not to mention music rights issues which I don’t know how they apply to […]
Question: I am in a discussion with a friend in St. Louis. One issue he has brought up and its implication is that theistic evolution cannot be true as death did not enter into the realm of creation until Adam and Eve sinned and thus the geological sediments and all the animals and plants could […]
http://www.apologetics315.com/2012/12/apologist-interview-douglas-jacoby.html
Question: I just have one question for you. Do you believe there is a hell of fire and brimstone where the God of love, the God of the Bible, will annihilate billions of His creatures? This is an extremely important question as the implications for the answer are light years beyond gigantic, whatever the answer. Thank […]
Question: What’s up with transfiguration in Luke 9? Such a strange and eerie scene. Any thoughts? Maybe books to read about it? Response: I am not sure exactly what you want to know. To me, this is a fairly straightforward account of a very unusual event which happened. I will admit that this is not […]
QUESTION: I was reading the Gospel of John earlier today and I came across the crucifixion account. There was one verse that I’m pretty sure I’ve looked over before but caught my attention this time around. John 19:36 “For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will […]
Question: My voter’s card has an “R” on it, although I don’t always vote that way. One of the choices for President is a Mormon. As a Christian, I’m not sure how I feel about voting for someone who is Mormon. I know that some of our earlier president’s were deists, Quakers, etc. It is […]
Question: Does this not give you something to think about ? [editor’s note: some personal info about where the questioner got this info and generated the question is left out here] Bruce wrote: “There are texts which may have lacked the Prayer of Forgiveness on the Cross in Luke (so like Luke to invent this in the […]
QUESTION: I was recently browsing youtube,and found a video about a banned book called Book of Enoch. What is it? Answer: As far as I know, no important group has banned the book of Enoch. Just so you know, some call this book the 1st (1 Enoch) because other pseudepigraphal books (books with a falsely-claimed […]
Question: I’ve been struggling with making some major decisions in my life ie: move, withdraw my son from college etc. I want to do God’s will in any decision I make. It’s been hard for me to know what God’s will is. My friend directed me to Romans 12:1-2 but I still don’t have clarity. What […]
Question: How is it that when God makes creation beautiful to the eye it is considered godly but when we value beauty to the eye, it isn’t considered godly? (prov 31:30, 1st peter 3:3) Or when God wants to build an entire city, New Jerusalem, with diamonds and gold ( revelations 21) it is considered […]
Brian Colon, one of the members of the ARS board, recently taught a class on the resurrection of Jesus. The audio is available at http://www.knowitstrue.com/audio/Rez.mp3
Question: Have you ever noticed that neither Luke nor Acts makes any reference to the doctrine of savation by the bloood of Christ ? Answer: Yes, I have noticed that Luke does not mention this doctrine, although I would dispute that it is not found in Acts. I believe that it has been claimed that […]
Question: I’m going to be taking a class on evolution this fall and wanted to see what book(s) you recommend I read so I can help myself as well as my classmates. Also, if you could just give me some general advice about how to go about debating/talking about evolution that would be appreciated. Thanks! […]
Question: My dad brought this scriptire to my attention. What is your take on it? Revelation 11:19 (NIV) Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. So the ark is not […]
QUESTION: Is there any evidence aganst the idea that Daniel 7:1-12:13( the section of daniel that is written in the first person) was not a part of the original book of daniel,but was written dering the maccabean wars and then added to the original text( the section of daniel that is written in the third […]
FSTR FrenchDr. John Oakes spoke to the Conakry Church of Christ in Guinea, Africa on July 22, 2012. The lesson was translated into French by Vincent Kamano. Audio attached.
QUESTION: In a recent post you said: “the word “eternal” always means until the thing is completed. This applies to our eternal life as well.” Where did you come up with that definition? Rev 22:5 says believers will reign forever and ever. There is no “until the thing is completed” attached to this. Neither does […]
QUESTION: My question for you is fairly simple and straightforward. What are the best arguments for atheism and why don’t you find them convincing? Answer: A good question. It is always advisable to understand the best argument of those with whom we disagree. Sometimes we might even change our mind if we are willing to […]
Question: I was reading this verse: The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. (Matthew 27: 52-53) I believe this statement to be true in that the dead […]
John Oakes just finished a three week missionary teaching trip. A report is attached. Berlin and West Africa Report
QUESTION: I’ve seen a lot of evidence that points to the direction of God’s existence. However, I was wondering what if in a couple of decades science and other areas (history, archaeology, etc) point to the opposite direction? I know new science discoveries are being made almost every single week. How would you respond if […]
QUESTION: John I was wondering if anyone has ever suggested a hypothesis based on drug hallucination for the resurrection? I know there’s a hallucination hypothesis but has anyone ever brought up drug hallucination like psilocybin mushroom hallucination? And if someone has how would you respond to that hypothesis? Thanks John! Answer: Hello from Conakry, Guinea; […]
John Oakes is teaching in Berlin, Conakry, Guinea, Accra, Ghana, and Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. You can follow on Twitter @evidence4christ or on facebook.
QUESTION: How does one explain the fact of Lot’s wife being converted into salt when they were running away from Sodom’s destruction? What is the “logic” or scientific” explantion behind this fact. Answer: I do not believe that there is any “scientific logic” to what happened to Lot’s wife. What happened to his wife is […]
Dr. John Oakes did a presentation on the resurrection for the Berlin Church of Christ 7/19/2012. His power point and notes were updated and are attached here: PPT The Resurrection of Jesus Resurrection of Jesus Notes
QUESTION: What is the context of James 5:16? What does confessing our sins have in relation to anointing the sick and him being raised up? Is that a commandment from Jesus to confess our sins to each other in any context? Answer: It does appear that James is a bit random in what he is talking […]
Illuminations Publishers has just published a new book by John Oakes. The title is “The Christian Story: Finding the Church in Church History.” It covers the history of Christianity from AD 30 to the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. The book is intended to help Christians understand best how to “do” church today. Copies […]
QUESTION: I recently watched a video by Edward Fudge on Hell; you can see it at Douglas Jacoby’s website, clearly Douglas agrees with him, I would like your opinion. editor’s note: The lecture can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/30967402 Douglas Jacoby’s site is www.douglasjacoby.com Answer: I just listened to the lecture by Edward Fudge. I believe […]
QUESTION: I’m really interested in the whole area of Apologetics and I am studying it out to try and establish my own beliefs according to the evidence. It seems to me that people either believe in creation that took place over six 24hr days or evolution whether unguided, partly or fully guided by an Intelligent […]
QUESTION: My friend is convinced that Jesus Christ commanded us to wash one another’s feet, literally. I would like to know how you understand the commandment of Jesus . Answer: I know of no serious Bible scholar who interprets what Jesus said in John 13:14 literally. As far as I know, none of those who […]
Question: I was reading chapter 4 of Exodus this morning and a few things confused me. I am hoping that you can explain them or direct me to the answers. 1. (v 21-23) The LORD references Israel being his firstborn son. I’ve never noticed this before. Are there other references in the OT like this? What […]
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