Question: 1. What is the Pentecost? 2. Can Paul be blameless? (Philippians 3:6) Answer: Pentecost is a Jewish holiday instituted by God at Sinai. You can read about it in Leviticus 23:15-22. It is known as the Day of Pentecost because it comes exactly fifty days after the Passover. It is also known as the Feast of […]
Question: I have not seen Expelled, but based on rotten tomatoes it is pretty read – I read your review though so I may wind up seeing it anyway. One of my friends saw it and he liked it, agreeing with the movie that science shouldn’t assume natural causation for everything. I strongly disagreed with […]
Question: In 2 Kings 2 v 23 Right after Elisha heals the dodgy water, some kids call him a baldhead. He then turns around and curses them in the name of God… Two bears pitch up and maul 42 of the kids. This seems to go against everything that prophets stand for. I get it […]
Question: An orthodox Jew said that Jesus sinned by practicing human sacrifice which was forbidden. That is a good point however I was unable to give an answer to his point……Any suggestions? Answer: Jesus did not take part in human sacrifice. Jesus was against all kinds of killing, especially human sacrifice. It is absolutely inconceivable […]
Question: It has been a subject of some debate as to whether "the earth without form and void" of Genesis 1, actually refers to a pre-existant earth prior to the one we currently inhabit; which was populated but destroyed for whatever reason(s). Is there any sort of proof or, shall we say, "solid spiritual logic" […]
Question: I’ve been studying out the Sabbath day and I’ve been convicted about how God has made this day holy. I also notice that there was 3 things he did on this specific day he made it holy, sanctified it and he bless it. Why? We worship on Sunday and I studied out where this […]
Question: What has been the impact of Christianity in Africa, using Lagos as a case study? Answer: I am not an expert on Christianity in Africa, although I have visited Lagos twice. I believe you will have to look at the history of the continent of Africa itself; especially sub-Saharan Africa. What was the history […]
Expelled Power Point
There has been a lot of hype in the Christian community surrounding the recently released movie Expelled. Conservative Christians are thrilled to finally have a movie which tells the truth about how the Christian view of origins is treated by the intellectual elite in this country. On the other hand, those excoriated by this movie […]
Dear John, I would like to send you a mail to say thank you for changing my life 20 years ago. I was a 1st year student in UCSD when you delivered a lecture on "Does God Exist?" on the campus in 1988. I was a Biochemistry major back then and logic (evidence) was very […]
John: Last year, a co-worker gave me this Newsweek article to read, Can God Love Darwin, Too? (Sep 17, 2007 Issue). I have shared a few of Doug’s CD sets with him and I guess he expected me to be resistant to evolution because of my religious convictions. He was quite surprised to learn that […]
Dear John, As you are aware that here in Malawi we are thirsty about being taught and hearing the word of God. I read that you were in South Africa, but some of us were unable to come and attend. Can’t you make a program to come to Malawi to teach us also as you […]
Dear Dr. John Oakes, This note is simply to express my heartfelt thanks to you for making that incredible teaching trip to Douala-Cameroon last month. The truth is that disciples in Cameroon were greatly impacted by the deeper insights in to the Scriptures that came out of everything you taught and shared. The young Church […]
John, I just wanted to thank you for the absolutely EYE OPENING study of the Book of Hebrews on Saturday at the conference. I always enjoy hearing you speak and could sit for HOURS listening to your awe-inspiring perspectives. I was the one who asked the question about the one thing that could cause a […]
Dear John: Recently my Dad passed away and I made a trip to Guatemala for his funeral. During that trip I visited an Aunt. When I went into the room she had prepared for me, there was your book Reasons For Belief. I immediately started to "devour" it because that is an area that intrigues […]
In my mental list of evidences for Christianity, there are few things more powerful than the book of Isaiah. In my mental list of evidences for Christianity, there are few things more powerful than the book of Isaiah. I vividly remember discovering its messianic prophecies as a sophomore while flipping through a Bible in my […]
My son Ben and I left for Hong Kong on Jan 2. Hong Kong is a very modern and VERY crowded city of about seven million. My son Ben and I left for Hong Kong on Jan 2. Hong Kong is a very modern and VERY crowded city of about seven million. It is a […]
The video of the debate between Douglas Jacoby and Michael Shermer which was sponsored by the Apologetics Research Society is now available on YouTube The video of the debate between Douglas Jacoby and Michael Shermer which was sponsored by the Apologetics Research Society is now available on YouTube by going to http://youtube.com/profile?user=douglasjacoby. Doug requests that […]
Apologetics Research Society is excited to announce the apologetics conference to be held in the Chicago area June 6-8. This conference will include a debate between Dr. Doug Jacoby, Imam Shabir Ally and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Register now. Apologetics Research Society is excited to announce the apologetics conference to be held in the Chicago area. This event […]
The most famous atheist in the world today is almost certainly Richard Dawkins (see the review of his book in the "What’s New" section). Up until three years ago, the honor probably went to Antony Flew. That is, until he publicly announced that he has become convinced of the Anthropic Argument and of the existence […]
Point Loma Nazarene College Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the Genome Project and author of “The Language of God,” gave a public lecture at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego on 4/11/2008. The talk was titled “The Language of God: A Believer Looks at the Human Genome.” I was privileged to attend a dinner […]
Question:,I read an article by a Christian scholar who believes the Egyptian god Imhotep to be no one else than Joseph in the Bible, deified and exaggerated to fit Egyptian beliefs. The step pyramid, which was the first pyramid to ever be built in Egypt, is historically credited by the Egyptians to be the work […]
Question:,Why did Jesus get baptized by John if he had no sin?,Answer:,This is a very good question. Jesus actually answered the question for us, although his answer is a bit enigmatic. To quote Matthew 3:15, “Let it be so now,it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Of course the question […]
Question:,The Jehovah’s Witness say God did not want us concuming blood in the O.T and that it continue in the N.T . In Acts 21:25 God does not let us use the blood to help other people. Therefore it is wrong to give or receive a blood transfusion. I do not believe this, but where […]
Question: How then do you explain the LXX & MT versions of Daniel & the story of Bel & the Dragon? Dennis; God used the Jewish teachers/rabbis as the arbiters of what is to be considered an approved text. They said no to the additions to Daniel. I agree with their assessment by looking at […]
Question: How has Isaiah 11:12 been fulfilled by Jesus? Jews consider this to be a passage about the Moshiach. They specifically say that Jesus did not fulfill this therefore he cannot be the Moshiach. They think that all Jews will return to Israel. How is that passage to be interpreted?Answer: Your Jewish friends are right. […]
Question: Can you please give me a little explanation about Ephesians 4:7-9? Answer: The wording in this passage is a bit obscure. I will have to admit it would be easy to get confused about what Paul is talking about. What he is talking about is the gifts God has given us. Let me give […]
Question: I have quite recently started studying the book of 1 Peter and am currently contemplating what the apostle might have meant by God?s judging each man?s work impartially (1:17). Since Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that a Christian is saved by God?s grace through his/her faith and not by his/her works, then I have concluded that […]
Questions:,1. Who is the Mechelsadeck? 2. Can a Christian be a blood donor(give own blood to others)?,Answer:,Melchizedek was the ruler of Salem in Canaan. Salem later became known as Jerusalem. He is a very enigmatic figure in the Bible. He was not a Jew, yet he was a worshipper of Jehovah/God. When Abraham returned from […]
Question:,Is this world real or maya? Will there be an end? Will there be any hereafter?,Answer,First of all, I deeply apologize for such a delayed response. I have gotten behind with the new semester.,The answer will depend on your world view. If you accept the Hindu or the Buddhist or the Jaina worldview, then you […]
Question: If God exists why doesn’t he appear or show himself, or even make known his existence? Sure maybe he did ages back but not in recent centuries so anyone can see. And also why can’t I have sex with my girlfriend? Why did God make love if we can’t use it? I love my […]
Question:,As a part of the Mosaic sacrifices, the priests were to ‘wave’ the sacrifice before the Lord. I’ve read through Chapter 6 of ‘From Shadow to Reality’ and was hoping to find some clarification – but didn’t find it mentioned. Can you help us understand the significance of waving the offering before the Lord? (either […]
Note: There are so many questions here that the question and answers are interspersed. Hopefully, this will make sense.,John Oakes,Eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable. There’s some elements of psychology that prove that a false memory can be planted in someone’s mind by repeated reinforcement. Police witnesses can produce varying accounts of what happened in certain circumstances […]
Question: I see what you say about the laws of the old testament having been “fulfilled” and therefore do not have to be followed. However, many Jews still do follow those rules and, it has to be said that in doing so they are following the word of God as that is what is written […]
Question:,Is baptism one of the requirements for salvation? ,Answer:,The very first time the gospel was preached publicly was in the Temple precincts in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover when Jesus was killed. This event is described in Acts 2. It seems obvious that God would want to get things […]
Question: I have heard that the accounts of Jesus resurrectioncould be misleading as the dates could be inaccurate. In other words,accounts of Jesus appearing seemingly after he is resurrected could have been written before he had died. Is this true? Answer: If an account of Jesus being resurrected was written before he died that would […]
Question: If God is perfect, then why is he jealous? Jealousy does not seem like a positive characteristic to me. Answer: This is a very good question. I think my answer will be similar to one I might give if I were asked how a perfect God can have anger as part of his character. […]
Question: 1) Is there anything distinctively Christian about apologetics? Why or why not? Do all religions include apologetics? Why or Why not?;2) How much do you think natural human reason can accomplish in religion? In general?;3) What good does it do to argue for your faith? What harm can it do?;4) How useful are merely […]
Question: How does the zodiac principle relate to the Bible if they do and was the system of the zodiac developed before the Bible? Also , many people believe that the repetition of specific numbers i.e 7 , 3 , 40 , 12 are related to the zodiac.Who influenced who in this subject? Answer: The […]
Question: Who were the “sons of God” in Genesis 6:2? Answer: Note, this answer is taken directly from one given to the same question at www.douglasjacoby.com John O. Sons of God 11/21/2003 ?????????????????????????????????????????????? There has been much speculation about who these “sons of God” mentioned in the sixth chapter of Genesis were. Three basic interpretations […]
Question:,I recently read an article written by a person named Raul in his website ( www.santiagoicc.org) about the Luke 15, and he say that “the lost son” it is not in fact a walk away son of God, but a lost person as any non-Christian is. I would really appreciate your comments of both. ,Answer:,Please […]
Question: I want to ask about “Education”. Where did education came from? Who started it? What does the Bible or God says about it? How should a disciple of Jesus feel about worldly educational systems? In my mind that education comes from the world, and in our generation in finding a job the standard of […]
Question: I am a sophomore in high school, and I recently began to engage in dialog with one of my atheist friends about the existence of God. My interest in the subject began last summer while my friend was attending a philosophy camp at Duke. He knew I was a Christian, so he sent me […]
Question:,Would voting for Hilary Clinton for President be unbiblical, as she is a woman in authority position?,Answer:,Let me answer your question with another question. What passage in the Bible can you use to show that women cannot take a leadership role in a secular job?,OK, now we have that out of the way. There is […]
Question: It has been argued that one reason for the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection, as opposed to the disciples having stolen the body, was that the idea of a crucified and subsequently risen savior was foreign to first century Jewish thought. If I understand the argument correctly, its strength is in the assumption that the […]
Question:,How do one defend to a postmodern generaton the fact that Christianity is the only means of salvation?,Answer:,First of all, I am sorry for being so slow about a response. We moved this month and besides I got caught up a bit in all the Christmas stuff.,This is a very good question. I am afraid […]
Question: Jesus is a human form. Should we worship him? I ask this because in Deutronomy 5:7 God said do not make a an idol in any form. Jesus is inthe flesh.but when Jesus? disciples worshiped him he acceptedit. It appears to be a kind of contradiction. Answer: First comment is that it is worth […]
Question: I read an article that on Joshua, claiming that archaeological evidence suggests the cities of Ai and Jerichowere destroyed roughly 1,000 years before the Biblical account of the Israelites’ arrival. Can you comment on this? Answer: The article you referred to is not written by a careful scholarly person, you can be assured of […]
Question: Where can I find balanced information on historical/theological reading of the Word? As a born again, Bible-following Christian for 22 years, I’m always excitied to read of some archaeological development that sheds light on people, times and/or places of the Bible. But I’ve also I’ve read enough about what archaeology has not been able […]
Question: I read the explanation of Daniel chapter 9 prophecy in your book “From Shadow to Reality”. You were really quite explicit on that. What I am unable to understand is verse no 27 which predicts the putting to an end of sacrifice and offering. I think the prophecy refers to the crucifixion which took […]
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