In John 3:5 Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. In John 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” In my opinion its […]
How did Christianity play a part in slavery? I am afraid that this is a fairly complicated issue. The simple answer is that true Christianity never condoned or supported slavery in any way. However, such a statement deserves an honest treatment of history as well as exegesis of the relevant biblical passages. The fact is […]
Where did the word “Bible” came from? The English word Bible comes from a Greek word which transliterates as biblios. The Greek word biblios means “book.” So when you are reading your Bible, you are reading your book. The Bible is The Book. John Oakes
Note: This is a very long question. The answer is several paragraphs down the page. I am presently taking a Comparative Religion course on the New Testament and have been struggling with some of the themes that have surfaced so far. Our course text is “The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to Early Christian Writings” […]
Had a thought while reading, “Is there a God?” – you list ‘Elementsessential for life’ as carbon and H20. I’m interesting in your thoughtsabout adding oxygen to the list. First its ability as an aerial solvent(to help create/sustain an atmosphere – and seems as strong an argument as H20 in the solvent arena?) & essential […]
Here is something I have wondered about. What is the history behind “totally immersion” baptism? I understand how infant baptism does not mold with the Bible?s teachings on baptism, but I always wondered what did the first century Christians do if there was not available water? Or not enough water for them to be totally […]
I am still in doubt about the age of OT descendants. Several hundred years seem a little hard to swallow. Is there any evidence, or other interpretation I should consider? On your question, I do not have an easy answer. One thing I try to keep separate in my mind is the things I know […]
Why was 1 John 4:1-3 written? Which people does he refer to who did not believe Jesus came in the flesh? If this was written in the first century, why would anyone not believe that he came in the flesh with so many eye-witnesses still alive? Is it because they could not understand or believe […]
I have heard that the word “he” and “him” is not a proper translation in John 1:1, but that it is the word “it.” If so, then “it” is a reference to the word logos and would not be a person, so, in a sense is not God. Is this true? Let me begin by […]
I have heard the claim that the early church fathers were from pagan backgrounds and their basis for explaining the godhead come from Plato and Aristotle and cannot be trusted in terms of their view of God. Is this true? First of all, the statement that the early church fathers were from a pagan background […]
I have heard of a conspiracy theory that argues that Jesus’s body was taken by the Romans and then some sort of stunt was pulled using someone who looked like Jesus to make the 500 mentioned by Paul in 1 Cor 15 believe he had risen from the dead. The argument then says that church […]
I was hoping you could give me a good answer why in Leviticus 11:6 the Lord told Moses that the rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you. Technically a rabbit does not chew the cud like a cow because it only has one stomach. […]
Could you make a good summary for the evidences to support the Luke 2 account of the census decreed by Caesar while Quirinius was ruling that would have forced Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem from Nazareth? I have read so much about the topic. I do see support that it could have happened, […]
The following four questions all came at once, presumably from the same person, and will be answered together, as they are all related: 1. In John 5:18, John says that Jesus was accused of calling God his own Father; making himself equal with God and that is why they wanted to kill him Don’t we […]
1. I have been told that only the apostles had the ability to lay their hands on people to give the gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, Ananias laid his hands on Paul to restore his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Maybe he laid his hands on him to restore his sight […]
I understand that Psalm 2:7 is talking about Jesus but what do the words “Today I have begotten you” mean? Is he referring to physical birth? If not what is it talking about? I would say that the most obvious place to look for an answer is in John 1:14. “We have seen his glory, […]
In what way will the earth be destroyed as described in 2 Peter 3 and other scriptures? Will it be destroyed in the sense of non-existence or in the sense of being destroyed like in the days of Noah where the earth wasn’t totally destroyed, but the people were? Should this be a matter of […]
Someone told me that most scholars say that Revelation was written after AD 70. Where can I find what scholars say regarding the date of Revelations? If it’s after AD 70, is it possible that most of Revelation has not happened, which is this individual’s view? From what I understand it was written more so […]
Where were some of the areas where Christianity was found? I am assuming you are asking where Christianity spread to in its earliest history. Of course, Christianity had its beginning in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, in what would be Israel and Palestine today. From there, after about AD 50, the new religion spread […]
In the NT when it refers to Jesus as the firstborn (Rom 8:29, Heb 1:6 & 12:23, Rev 1:5, Col 1:15,16,18) does that mean that he is first to be “born again” by his baptism? A great question! To answer this question, one must understand what “firstborn” meant to the Jews. For the Jews, the […]
In Genesis 2:7b What does it mean when it says “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”? is the “breath of life” referring to oxygen or the spirit/soul? I would say that, when in doubt, we should let the obvious meaning stand. Genesis seems to be saying that God made the inanimate Adam […]
What happened in early Christianity between A.D 180-311? I am going to assume that you did not choose these dates arbitrarily. Probably you found the starting and ending date for your question in a book you read. Most likely, the end date for your question, AD 311, is a reference to the edict of Toleration […]
Where can I find writings from Joshepus? Josephus had a number of writings, but the most relevant for a Christian are the works “The Antiquities of the Jews,” and “The Wars of the Jews,” also known as “The Jewish Wars.” “The Antiquities of the Jews” is a fairly comprehensive history of the Jewish people, beginning […]
I’m doing a study on non-biblical sources about Jesus’ existence. I know there are people like Josephus, Lucian, Thallus, Jewish Talmud, Cornelius Tacitus & Seutonius. I was wondering if you know any websites/books that have in their writings specifically the parts that talk about Jesus. Also if you know any more people that write about […]
What did the word “Son of God” mean to the Jewish people in Jesus’ time? is there any historical evidence about what that meant? I am afraid you that I am not an expert on this question by a long shot. I will provide at least a hint of an answer, but suggest you continue […]
Acts 22:28 states that Paul was a natural born Roman citizen while Philippians 3:4-5 states that he’s a Hebrew. There are other passages in Scripture that cite his apparent dual citizenship. My view here is that he was a Roman citizen by virtue of his being born within Roman territory, while his heritage made him […]
I have a few questions about the Bible. I’ll list them here. 1. Why do some theologians who have studied the scriptures for years still preach many different denominations/religions and salvation by works? People teach and believe false doctrine primarily because they were “raised up” in these false teachings and because it is always easier […]
Can you help me find biblical and non-biblical proofs that the Bible is the word of God? That is what this web site is all about. Therefore, rather than answering you directly, I will point you toward a number of resources at this web site, as well as some of the evidence books I have […]
The words “new heavens & a new earth” are found in 2 Peter 3:10-13 & Revelation 21:1. Does that mean a literal new physical universe and earth or is it a way we as humans can relate to heaven? Well, put it this way. If we can assume that the “new earth” is a physical […]
Where do you find out what scholars say about certain biblical topics? Are there any websites or books you can recommend me? This is really too broad a question for me to be able to give a really good answer. It would depend on the kind of question you were trying to ask. There are […]
In Exodus 3:2 & Genesis 18,19 use the word “angel”, I heard that the word could mean “messenger”. If it is so, is it possible that Jesus could be this “messenger”? You are not the first one to propose that the “angel” in Exodus 3:2 could in fact be Jesus, the Son of God. Below […]
In Daniel 7:27 it says “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the most high. My question is in what way were the sovereignty, power and greatness of the those kingdoms handed over to saints? Being somewhat prideful, I […]
In Matthew 16:18 it says “I also say that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;” I’ve been taught that the rock in this scripture is a reference to Jesus, but it seems to me that it refers to Peter. After all Jesus did build the church through Peter (Acts […]
There are some Christians I know who are dating non-Christians. I know that in 1 Cor 7:39 it says that if your spouse dies you can marry another but only in the Lord, so I would logically think it would be the same if your a single disciple, why would it only be if your […]
I would just like to ask one or two questions. I can easily accept what it says about Genesis and the interpretation of the word ‘day’. What puzzles me is the age of the human race. How do you address the inconsistency relating to the age of man? If Adam & Eve were the first […]
I visited a site called bible.ca. There a section which talks about instrumental music in worship as being wrong and they quote some things from early Christians. I know that in the OT instruments were allowed and from what I understand the NT Christians didn’t use instruments because it was associated with pagan worship (so […]
Please give me all the information you can on Daniel the prophet in the Old Testament. I would like to write an essay on him. I have published a book on Daniel, so I certainly do have a lot of material on him. You can purchase a copy of the book at www.ipibooks.com . I […]
Someone told me that Acts 2:23 talks about the fact that every human being who ever lived contributed to Jesus’ death. But all I read is that Peter is talking to the crowd who agreed that Jesus be put on the cross. I don’t understand how my sin is a contribution to Jesus’ death 2000 […]
Are you able to provide a summary of non-messianic prophecies for which there is written evidence of them being proclaimed before being fulfilled? This would restrict prophecy to the Old Testament, as the earliest ‘significant’ copies we have of the New Testament are dated in the 4th century AD, well after most (if not all) […]
A friend asked me if you are in a country where marijuana is legal, and you smoke it occasionally for relaxation, just like alcohol, would it be wrong. Let me give you the simple answer first. If your friend lived in a country where a reasonable person would conclude that Jesus would have smoked marijuana, […]
In Matthew 5:5 why does it say that the gentle (meek) will inherit the earth? Is it talking about the new heaven and the “new earth” when Jesus returns or is it something else? “The meek shall inherit the earth” is a truism. A truism is a general statement which can be applied to a […]
A sister in the church told me that the word unfaithful can mean other things besides being sexually unfaithful, in terms of divorce. But from what I understand you can only divorce if your spouse has been sexually unfaithful. What does God (the Bible) say? I will assume that you are referring to the text […]
How much of the book of Daniel was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls & what is the agreed dating for it? What is the latest it has been dated? The reason I am asking is to know of the earliest proven evidence for Daniel, relative to the date of his 2 prophecies in the […]
In Daniel 2:44, when he says “setup a kingdom” does it mean the one in heaven or the church? to me it seems heavenly. Also can you let me know some scriptures where it says “kingdom…” which refer to the heavenly kingdom and some which refer to the church (OT & NT).If you cant answer […]
In Matthew 6, there is an admonishment to not mindlessly repeat a prayer. However, isn’t that what we do when we say the Lord’s Prayer which follows a few sentences later? How is the Lord’s Prayer different? In Matthew chapter six, Jesus was not so much attacking the saying of a prayer mindlessly, as he […]
In Daniel 2:44 it says that: “…it will crush and put an end to all those kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” In what way will the kingdom “crush” the other kingdoms? Is he talking about when Christ returns and destroys the physical realm which include the earthly kingdoms or is he talking about […]
Why is the word yahweh not written in the NT? Is it because Yahweh refers to the whole Godhead? The reason YHWH (I use YHWH rather than yaweh, as it is closer the the Hebrew original) does not appear in the New Testament is that the New Testament was written in Greek. YHWH is a […]
How do you explain that Jesus called people “fools”? Wouldn?t he be subject to hell fire according to his own words? What does this mean to us? Who can we call fools? Who not? (The explanation, that Jesus was filled with Gods Spirit and knew what?s necessary doesn?t seam to be sufficient.) Matthew 5:22 But […]
IF A PERSON IS ON THEIR DEATH BED AND HAS NOT BEEN BAPTIZED AND WANTS TO BE SAVED BUT DIES BEFORE HE OR SHE IS BAPTIZED, IS THAT PERSON SAVED? CAN A PERSON STILL ENTER HEAVEN EVEN IF THEY DON’T GO TO CHURCH BUT BELIEVES IN GOD? HOW CAN YOU HELP SOMEONE SEE THAT BAPTISM […]
This is a bit confusing. In Luke Jesus asks the Father to forgive those that murdered him, in Acts 2:23 Peter accuses these same people of murder, then in Acts 2:38 Peter tells them to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do […]
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