Question: Theologian Bernhard Duhm (1912) wrote: “This process of editing the Prophetic Writings, with such added expositions, enlargements, and supplementation, went on to so large an extent that now no single prophetic writing exists in its original form. Indeed, more than once we find that what was originally not at all the work of Prophets […]
Questions: I have a few questions concerning baptism and repentance. For baptism my 3 questions are: If someone has repented and has made the decision to be baptized and make Jesus Lord of their life and is on the way to their baptism, and tragically dies in a car accident, is there any way to […]
Question: When did Mary worship first start? I’m trying to witness to my Christian Catholic friend who still prays to Mary. I asked SIRI and an article came up with your web page entitled: “Was Mary worshipped by the early Christian Church in 250 AD as my Catholic friend claims?” I would like to print […]
Question: Liberal Rabbi Mark L. Solomon says: “We have no way of knowing for certain the authorship of any of the Biblical books, including the prophecies in Neviim (Prophets), since they were probably based on oral teaching handed down for generations before being written down by anonymous scribes.” What’s your opinion? Answer: My opinion is […]
Question: Jesus had no need to prove himself Messiah through corrupted Jewish prophecies. Jews fabricated the concept of “King like David”. Those prophecies will neither be fulfilled in the distant future for Jews, not as the Davidic Kingdom will never come to exist. Indeed, Jesus came as Messiah to teach Jews to leave their worldly […]
Question: If the Levites and Priests already knew the criteria for recognizing the true prophet and false prophet (Deut. 13:1-5; 18:21-22), then why did false prophets flourish among Israelites? Why is there no mention of the execution of false prophets by the hands of Levites and Priests? Answer: The answer to this question is really […]
Questions: I’ve got a couple of questions. Some atheists and Jesus-mythers claim that a book like the Bible and the miracles in it are not surprising because during that time such writings and legends were common, with even serious historians like Tacitus adding miraculous or bizarre things to their writings. They say it was very […]
Question: Is the New Covenant everlasting? Will we be under the New Covenant in heaven? Answer: Believe it or not, this is a difficult question. Logically, it would seem that if the answer to the first question is yes, then the answer to the second question also needs to be yes, but this is not […]
Question: Mary (mother of Jesus) was a devout woman who was well aware of God’s scriptures, then why did she doubt Gabriel about virgin birth, when she already knew the prophecy of Isa. 7:14? Did it mean Christians fabricated the prophecy of Isa. 7:14? Answer: Mary was indeed a devout woman. And we can assume […]
Question: Did Jesus have two fathers, as Luke mentioned in 1:32, i.e. God and David? If Jesus was not a Son of God in a literal sense, then why did Christians make him a deity? Answer: Good question. I am not sure what your background in Christianity is, so I will start with the basics. […]
Dr. John Oakes taught a ten-part class on the Book of Romans Spring, 2023 in Merced. Power point, notes and audio are attached here: Romans Notes Romans PPT Romans Audio I Romans Audio II Romans Audio III Romans Audio IV Romans Audio V Romans Audio VI Biblical Predestination […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a series of sermons from the Book of Mark in Merced, CA. The notes, PPT and audio are attached. Mark I Notes Mark I PPT Mark Audio I Mark II Notes Kingdom Parables Mark II PPT Mark IIa Audio Mark IIb Audio Mark […]
Question: A Jewish friend of mine says: According to Megillah 14b, eight prophets, who were also priests, descended from Rahab the prostitute, and they are: Neriah; his son Baruch; Seraiah; Mahseiah; Jeremiah; his father, Hilkiah; Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel; and Hanamel’s father, Shallum. None of them are considered prophets by Christians except Jeremiah. If Christians are […]
Editor’s Note: This question comes from a Muslim, which might explain the tone of the question. Question: 1. The Christian Zionists claim that the modern Israelite state is made according to the Biblical prophecies for e.g., Ezek. 37:21-22, but the problem is: where is that king who will rule over them? Did all Jews return to Israel? […]
Question: My question is going to be about Romans 13:1-7. Here, Paul talks about submission to authorities. My question is this… Is Paul only referring to authorities in the time of him writing Romans, (especially when he says the authorities have been established by God) or does this apply to today as well? If this […]
Questions: Do we have the exact words of Jesus or a paraphrase? How does it affect the credibility of Jesus’s words?What is your definition or understanding of a contradiction? Did Jesus say to loose and bring one or two animals( a colt and donkey) Thanks Answers: No, we definitely do not have the exact words […]
Question: If Amos, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai, Malachi were names of real people, why are they not found elsewhere in Biblical history? Answer: You are asking the wrong question, in my opinion. Here is the correct question to ask: Are Amos, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai and Malachi real people? It is not the job of a historian […]
Question: Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel allegedly received “Oracles against Nations”, but what purpose do they have other than consoling Jews? On the one hand, God used foreign nations to punish Israelites, then on the other hand, God wants to punish them without giving them a chance of repentance. Although the Israelites continuously mocked Moses, […]
Question: Where does your soul go when you die? Some say heaven (or hell) but if that’s true then the people that were raised from the dead were taken out of heaven and brought back to earth…? Jesus raised people before his crucifixion and Peter and Paul did too after Jesus died and rose again. […]
I have given this lesson previously, but redid it recently at UC Merced and updated the notes and power point considerably Here they are: Baptism: In Christ Notes Baptism: In Christ PPT Baptism Audio I Baptism Audio II
Question: According to Jewish tradition, four messianic figures, called the Four Craftsmen, from a vision found in the Book of Zechariah (Zech.1:18-21). The four craftsmen are discussed in the Babylonian Talmud Suk. 52b. which identifies these four craftsmen as Messiah ben David, Messiah ben Joseph, Elijah, and the Righteous Priest. My question is: If Jesus […]
Question: Jeremiah Ch. 33:17-18 foretold false things which have not happened, because there is no temple that exists and no king lineage runs on. What’s your response? Answer: The person making this statement (I assume it is not you and that you are finding this at a Muslim anti-Christian website) does not know what they […]
Question: Why does the Bible not record the words of Jonah referred to in 2 Ki 14:25? What about prophets/seers alluded to in 2 Chr 33:10, 18? Hosea prophesied more than 80 years but only small quantity survived. Why? Answer: My Bible is already about 1150 pages long. If the Scriptures were to record all […]
Comment: I have some comments regarding accuracy of biblical texts and the importance of genealogies in the Bible in response to your reply to my question: Which is correct on the time Adam to Abraham–the Masoretic text or the Septuagint? [Editor’s note: Here is the article: https://evidenceforchristianity.org/which-is-correct-on-the-time-from-adam-to-abraham-the-masoretic-text-or-the-septuagint/ There were statements made in the article that weren’t […]
Question: I have learned that about 55% of Matthew’s gospel is just Mark’s material. If Matthew was an eyewitness why would he use 55% of Mark’s gospel? He even uses material from his gospel for events that he witnessed such as the last supper. In the last supper, the last part in Matthew and Mark […]
Editor’s note: I have gotten dozens of questions from disingenuous Muslim sources recently, so I decided to publish this Q & A as an article for your consideration. Question: What would you tell someone who was having trouble figuring out which religion is the one true religion? What would you tell him if he said […]
Question: Why do Christians and Jews have different interpretations for the meaning of the word “Moshiach” in Daniel chapter 9 verses 25-26? Why do Jews translate “Moshiach” as “the anointed one” but Christians translate it as the word “Messiah”? Answer: If we transliterate the Hebrew word Moshiach, we get Messiah. If we translate it, we […]
Question: I am currently studying out the book of Hebrews (I am reading the book you wrote about Hebrews along the way as well) and I’m learning a lot, but there is one question that I would like to ask. If the covenant that Moses brought was to be replaced by Jesus at some point, […]
[Editor’s note: I got a follow-up question from the same person. The second question and answer are below.] Question: I am a Christian who is going through some doubts about the Bible and I was wondering if you had any insight on the claims made on this article? https://bibleoutsidethebox.blog/2021/07/18/are-stories-in-the-bible-influenced-by-popular-greco-roman-literature/ Thanks [Editor’s note: In the article […]
Dr. John Oakes is doing a missionary teaching trip to West Africa Feb 16-Mar 5, 2023. He will be posting all or nearly all of his lessons, outlines and ppts here. Great Bible Study Time Notes Great Bible Study PPT Great Bible Study Audio Reliability of the Bible notes Reliability of […]
Ghana, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal I am now in Cote d’Ivoire, and will leave for Senegal tomorrow. Accra, Ghana Feb 16-20 This is my second time in Accra, Ghana. My last visit was ten years ago. Ghana is a country of 32 million souls. It is a fairly small country, the size of […]
Question: What is the relationship between the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant? Also, what is the relationship between the Abrahamic Covenant and the New Covenant? Are Christians still under the Abrahamic Covenant? Answer: This is a good question. I believe that it is (more or less) answered in Galatians 3:10-22. In this passage Paul […]
Question: What would you tell someone who was having trouble figuring out which religion is the one true religion? What would you tell him if he said he believes it must be Christianity, Islam or Zoroastrianism but he isn’t sure which of these three is the one true religion and isn’t sure how he can […]
Question: What do Isaiah 66:17 and Isaiah 65:3-4 mean? What are these passages about? How should we understand these passages as Christians? How would you respond to someone who says Christians shouldn’t eat pork based on these verses and that Christians will be judged by God for eating pork based on these verses? Those who […]
Question: Book of Daniel and Zechariah (Ch. 9-14) are the product of Hellenistic era. Jesus is not prophesied in them otherwise DSS would elaborate it. What’s your response to this criticism? Harrison: These are quite simply false statements. I assume that they are coming from a Muslim source. Muslims have a disingenuous approach to the […]
Dr. John Oakes is giving a lecture using his book In Christ (www.ipibooks.com) for churches in Worcester and Providence titled “In Christ the Veil Is Removed.” Wed. 1/25/2023 7:30 EST on zoom. The notes, power point, and, eventually the audio are posted here. In Christ the Veil is Removed Notes In Christ the Veil […]
Question: What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? Who were the Qumran Community? Who were the Essenes? Answer: The Dead Sea Scrolls are hundreds of manuscripts found in about a half dozen caves in the desert hills to the west of the Dead Sea. Some are entire documents, and others are mere fragments. Most were on […]
Question: Jesus did not fulfill Zech. 9:9 because a significant part of the verse speaks about the person riding as the “victorious king of Israel”. The passage explains that at that time, universal peace will be established. This is a key feature of the Messianic age, as we see in passages like Isa. 2:4; 11:1-9 […]
Question: How God can allow his Messiah to be a descendant of immoral people i.e. Judah and Tamar, David and Bathsheba? Hadn’t scribes fabricated these immoral tales? Answer: Good question. One of the beautiful things about Christianity is that Jesus is the descendent of imperfect people. In fact, when Matthew recorded the genealogy of Jesus, […]
Question: What are the main covenants in the Bible and how do they relate to each other? Answer: The five covenants in the Bible that most Christians will recognize as such are the following: The covenant with Noah Genesis 9 The covenant with Abraham Genesis 17 (or Gen 12, 15, 22) The covenant with Moses […]
[Editor’s comment: This must be the Muslim biblical criticism of the day, as I have gotten five versions of this question in the last couple of days] Question: Was Jesus ignorant of Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai? Why did he not cite them? Answer: Jesus was well aware of the entire canon of […]
Question: If so many experts and historians say the Bible is made up, full of errors, and has been changed, etc. then how can we trust what historians say about secular history? Answer: I assume yours is more of a rhetorical question than an actual one. You seem to be making a point rather than […]
Question: 1. If Jesus’s mission was to the lost sheep of Israel, why did he fail in his mission? And why did Jesus prohibit the gfrom being preached to the Gentiles during his ministry but after his ‘resurrection’ tell them to preach the Gospel to the whole world? If Jesus really had made the latter […]
Question: Sir, Literalist Christians frequently employ the argument that the gospels represent objectively reliable “eyewitness accounts”, but this contention is disingenuous. The reasons are: (1) Literalist Christians have no way of authenticating any of the gospels. In fact, all four were originally written anonymously. and (2) These gospels constitute unreliable hearsay and not true […]
Question: Trinitarians claim that Christ was declaring Himself to be God in John 8:58, but this sentence is not translated accurately. The New Jerusalem Bible has translated the phrase in Exodus 3:14 “I am that I am” from “Ehe’ye asher ehe’ye” (Hebrew) as “I am He who is: Ego eimi, Ho on” (Greek). The Divine […]
Question: What is your opinion of The Voice translation? Answer: I have not yet read from The Voice translation. From what I have read about it, this translation was created using 125 scholars, but also artists and other creative people. There appears to have been some solid scholarship behind the translation. The intent was to […]
Questions: Doctor, There are historical problems in the trial & crucifixion accounts of the Gospels. 1) Passover was a family holiday. Would the entire Sanhedrin (and the high priest) get up and leave their families, first as a group to arrest him, and second, for a trial of a Galilean wonder-worker? According to later Rabbinic […]
Question: The Bible doesn’t tell us how Joel, Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Malachi, etc. proved themselves as prophets in the eyes of their contemporaries. Their alleged prophecies were fulfilled, according to the NT authors. Before then, what was their status? Answer: This is a good question. The answer is that we do not have access […]
Question: According to Robert Carroll and Auld: Hosea, Amos, Isaiah, etc. were poets and were NOT thought of as prophets until exilic times. The collectors of their words labelled them “prophets”. The Koran also does not mention them except Jonah. What are your thoughts? Answer: My response is this: Why do we listen to people […]
Question: Several prophets make no definite promise of a “single person” as the Saviour; such as Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Haggai, the Deutero-Isaiah. All didn’t have a perception of the future salvation in connection with an individual. Dr. Oakes, What is your response? Answer: First, I ask the one who is posing this […]
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