Question: I come from a VERY Catholic family. This Christmas was naturally a very…interesting time. ANYWAYS, they brought up a statement/question that I felt ill equipped to answer. They made the statement that back in OT days, when Jews made a sacrifice, they would have to partake (i.e. eat) the sacrifice to consummate the covenant. […]

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Question: What’s your response to people who claim the hallucination hypothesis and state that Paul had a lot of guilt towards persecuting the Christians which eventually led to his hallucination? And how would you interpret the verse in Matthew 2:3 "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed and ALL Jerusalem with him"? Thanks! Answer: […]

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Question: How do you respond when critics attack the Bible stating that Luke can’t be accurate because it put Quirnius as governor of Syria when Jesus was born.  Quirinius was governor of Syria in 6/7 AD yet Herod was also alive at the time as well, but he was thought to have died in 4 BC ? […]

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Question: How did the Philistines get 30,000 chariots in 1 Sam 13:5? Is there any evidence that this is a copyist error? Answer: The answer is that the Septuagint and Syriac translations have 3000 rather than 30,000 chariots. Both are very early translations of the Old Testament which were made many hundreds of years before […]

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Question: I have a friend who claims that there are biblical prophecies within both the Old and New Testament that have not come to pass as of yet. Though I am aware that not all biblical prophecy hasn’t been fulfilled, what are the basic rules for interpreting it? Should we focus on how Jesus had, […]

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Request: I have a former student who is in college and really questioning his faith and is starting to believe in the arguments presented by Hitchins and Dawkins. Recently he posted this "question" asking for people to comment and give him feedback. I am looking for anyone who could help me give some meaty and […]

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Question: In Mark 15:38 it says that the Temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. Is there any historical evidence that this actually happened: Either in some Jewish texts or some other credible writing outside of the New Testament? Answer: As far as I know there is not other written source confirming […]

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Question: I am a Jew who lives in Israel, in recent times I began to wonder why my way, Judaism, is true. I talked with some rabbis, and their best claim against the other religion was that Judaism has survived thousands years. Despite all of the pogroms, anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, even though they were […]

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Question: When did Jesus meet Simon? Was it when Peter’s brother Andrew asked Him to come see the Messiah (John 1:35-42)? Was it when Jesus healed Peter’s mother in law (Luke 4:38-43)? Or was it next to the sea of Galilee (Mark 1:14-20)? Thanks! Answer: Jesus met Simon (later known as Peter) when Simon’s brother […]

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We are reposting an article on a biblical and historical perspective of Christmas from 2007 for your enjoyment.  Merry Christmas.  John Oakes   Is Christmas a Christian Holiday? 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 threatened […]

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Pregunta: Mi pregunta es la siguiente: Hay personas que afirman basándose en pasajes de Hechos que el Espíritu no necesariamente se recibe en el momento del bautismo. Aducen que se recibe en el momento de creer. Me gustaría saber que piensas acerca de eso.  Reputesta: Por supuesto, he escuchado esta opinión muchas veces. Yo creo […]

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Question: Sorry to add another question to my previous question, but I was wondering how do you feel about the use of the Septuagint and the pre-Samaritan text in the New Testament? I know that these two versions of the Old Testament sometimes differ and have on older Hebrew reading from the Masoretic text. Would […]

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Question: Some non-believers do believe Christ rose from the dead.  The historical evidence is great.  We mark our calendars by the event.  Sadly even liberal Christians buy the baseless fairy tale that the writings of Josephus were "revised" or the book of Luke was "planted" in the Roman libraries despite not a shred of evidence […]

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Question: I am stuck on Daniel 7:26-28. It seems to say that after the defeat of Domitian that Jesus sets up his dominion on earth and that the dominion would be everlasting and that the saints would possese the kingdom. But Jesus never came it 96 A.D? Answer: The Kingdom which Jesus established is the […]

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Question: How would you interpret the formal contradiction in Mathew’s citation (Matt 2:6) of Micah 5:2? Matthew states that Bethlehem is by no means the least among the rulers of Judah, and Micah states that Bethlehem is small among the clans or rulers of Judah.Thanks! Answer: Here is a literal, word-for-word translation of the Greek […]

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Question: How would you interpret the formal contradiction in Mathew’s citation (Matt 2:6) of Micah 5:2? Matthew states that Bethlehem is by no means the least among the rulers of Judah, and Micah states that Bethlehem is small among the clans or rulers of Judah.Thanks! Answer: Here is a literal, word-for-word translation of the Greek […]

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Question: I recently read a report prepared by an archaeologist from the Israeli Antiquities Authority which stated that Bethlehem could not have been occupied during the Herodian Period (the time of the birth of Jesus Christ) because no ruins or other archaeological evidence from that period had been found in or around Bethlehem. He did […]

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Question: I recently read a report prepared by an archaeologist from the Israeli Antiquities Authority which stated that Nazareth could not have been occupied during the Herodian Period (the time of the birth of Jesus Christ) because no ruins or other archaeological evidence from that period had been found in or around Nazareth. He did […]

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Question: I have a question which bugs me a lot.  Reading Exodus 4:22-23 has overwhelmed me with doubts. Then say to Pharoah, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill […]

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Question: Why was the field called the field of blood (Matthew 27:8)? Is it because it was bought with blood money or because Judas died there? Answer: Because the Bible does not answer this question, we are left to make reasonable speculations. First of all, it is almost certainly not called this because Judas died […]

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It is not surprising, and it was just a matter of time, but it appears that scientists have now found a fairly reasonable candidate for a place which could support life outside our solar system.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16040655?mid=5475  See article below. With fantastic advances in the ability of astronomers to see distant objects it became clear a […]

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Question: Why is the tribe of Dan NOT LISTED in Revelation with the other tribes of Israel? Answer: There are a number of theories about why Dan is not included. The scripture does not tell us, so we are left with the need to do at least some speculating. Let me list a few suggested […]

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Question: I wonder about the Eden "project" and the fact that it was so imperfect, so how did God plan for it to exist (even if man haven’t sinned)? – If Adam and Eve were immortals, why did God ask them to multiply; where would all their descendents live if there would be billions of […]

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Question: What do you think about 1 Samuel 13:1? In my Bible it states that the Hebrew manuscripts state "Saul was … years old when he became king; and he reigned two years over Israel". I’ve looked at several different versions of the verse and some state one year old, and two years over Israel […]

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Question: Who is the person that invades all those countries in Dan 11:40-45? Is this event still in the future because the Angel says ‘and at that time’ and then talks about the waking of the dead to everlasting life or shame? Answer: I answer this in my book "Daniel, Prophet to the Nations." You […]

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This lesson was given by Dr. John Oakes 11/20/2011 in San Diego, CA.  The topic is the significance of the Old Testament sacrifices to Christianity.         Notes: OT Sacrifice and Christianity              Sacrifice Prefigure PPoint 526.37 Kb         Sacrifice prefigures audio 9.51 Mb

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Questions: I have 3 questions regarding the interpretation of scripture. The first is in Esther 8:17 it states the following, "And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them." From my understanding in Jewish tradition, people from other nationalities (Gentiles) could not become or convert to Judaism. The […]

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Question: Dr, a Muslim presented me with these arguments. I find it difficult to refute. There are too many coincidences.. Can these be true Sir? And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. (Isaiah 29:12 KJV) Truth stands out […]

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Question: A Muslim gave me this. What are your thoughts? The similitude of Jesus pbuh is of Adam pbuh. Even Adam pbuh had no mother nor father. If following your logic, then Prophet Adam would be a greater God because he came into existance with no father nor mother. You see for God( The Father) […]

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Question: Proverbs 6:6-8 says that an ant has no ruler. Is this a scientific inaccuracy? Would the conclusion be different if God were to say this instead of the wise man? Would it be a biblical error when Jesus asks "Why are you thinking these things in your heart?" Would it not be more accurate […]

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