Question: Regarding the story of the flood: If God flooded the Earth, all the land mammals and insects would die, but not the sea animals. Maybe some of the birds would survive. Isn’t this unfair and needlessly cruel? Why would God destroy innocent creatures like deer and rabbits but leave sharks and killer whales alone? […]
Answer: I was reading my Bible this morning in Joshua, I noticed the word “darkness” in Joshua 24:8. I looked it up in Strong’s and in the Hebrew, it is called “maaphel”. In your opinion, is this literal darkness or something else? Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance says “something opaque”. http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3990.htm Joshua 24:7 NIV But they cried […]
Question: I was hoping you could help me understand how the the setting of Zechariah 14:16-18 could be referring to somewhere other than Earth. “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. […]
Question: My question relates to Romans 2:12-16: “All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the […]
Question: Is someone who has an income that he does not pay tax on sinning? Answer: I cannot answer every possible issue related to your question. There may be some gray area here. I do not know what country you live in, which would also affect my answer. In the United States there are gray […]
Question: I have a question about creation: In Genesis 1 it says God made vegetation, water creatures and birds before making man but in Genesis 2 it’s says that man was made before vegetation and animals Is this a biblical contradiction? I ask this question as a disciple who struggles with being logical at times, […]
Question: I wonder why isn’t the name Yahweh mentioned anywhere in the NT? We only see Christ calling him Father in the gospels as well as the apostles addressing Him in the same way. Has it been omitted anywhere in various translations? For a new believer isn’t it essential to know that the Father […]
Question: I think it is hard to understand the trinity because a man cannot be in America, in Africa and in Asia at the same time: that make the trinity hard to understand when I take it in a human way. I want to ask you if the trinigy is like this: 3 forms of […]
Question: My teacher at my university claims that Daniel was written in 165BCE. [editor’s note: probably the professor meant that it was written after 164 BC when the events surrounding Antiochus Epiphanes occurred] He says that it was written with the Babylonian setting to make it look like it was prophesying the future. He also […]
Question: Dr Oakes, have you ever struggled with doubts in your faith? About God? Christianity? If so how have you overcome them? Thanks so much. Answer: A great question. Of course I have doubts. Faith without doubts is probably not real faith. A reasonable level of doubt is required in order to grow. We had […]
Question: There so many things in the Bible I don’t understand up to now. For example, I struggle to understand the nature of Jesus Christ. Some verses show us that he is God but some show that Jesus and God are different. In John 17 Jesus was praying God. So If he is God why […]
Question: I hope this email finds you well. I am a Christian and have a friend who is going through some unbelief, and he sent me this video to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pOI2YvVuuE which illustrates his thought process. He doesn’t believe in God anymore, and doesn’t believe Christianity is any more right than any other religion. My […]
Question: Hello Dr Oakes. I am taking an early Judaism and Christianity course in university and I have a question about the Bible. My teacher is very critical towards the New Testament writers and writings (as most are in the department of religion) and he told us in class the other day that the first […]
Question: I come from the land of a million gods( INDIA) where anywhere you look at any place it has the stench of idolatry. While hindus feel it’s nothing short of a blessing to have so many gods, I wonder why God allows something like a pagan religion of Hinduism to still continue today like […]
Editor’s Note: This response comes from Kedron Jones, a member of the board of Apologetics Research Society Question: Thanks for following up about my baptism issue I brought up. Basically it was an article on the question as to whether “baptism” is necessary to be saved/go to heaven? The article went through many scriptures and […]
Question: I want to seek your thoughts on who Paul speaks to in 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. Is he talking to saved people who are sinning or to people who have gone back to their sinful ways, fallen away and are no longer saved? In the passage he says “you still live in flesh” which tells […]
Question: I’m a sophomore in a university. I’m part of a Christian fraternity on campus and my little is a Mormon. I’ve been doing as much research as possible to learn about Mormonism and to study the differences between Mormonism and Christianity, but I can’t seem to find a good way to effectively express to […]
Comment: I’ve been reading your book “Daniel: A Prophet to the Nations” and I’ve been very inspired and overwhelmed by the very specific prophecies. I’m thankful for how God is using you to reveal his word to others. So suffice it to say, while I have a problem with your response to Daniel 11:36-45 my […]
Question: [editor’s note: This is a series of two questions from the same member of the same topic] I wanted to know if you know much about fulgurites and the evidence they give to support the reality of the ten plagues in Egypt? How about this for a bible study? Studying out about […]
Question: I’ve been reading Judges and, boy there are some good parenting lessons in this book. I’m writing because I would like your take on chapter 11, specifically the vow Jephthah made to God. Why do you think God allowed him to go through with his vow and not stop him, especially since she was […]
Question: Is the material found below about Jesus having a wife valid or false? http://www.livescience.com/34229-what-does-the-gospel-of-jesus-s-wife-say.html?cmpid=514627_20150825_51404246&adbid=10152957444286761&adbpl=fb&adbpr=30478646760 Answer: I would have to do some more care research to validate the age and to look at other attempts to translate, but please allow me to give my first quick impression. I would say that with a quick glance, […]
Question: I was wondering if you can send me some material on the question that many Christians and others struggle with….”Why is God so angry,violent and vengeful in the Old Testament and gracious in the New”?? Would really appreciate if you can provide some good material on this. Answer: This is a good question. First […]
Question: I found your book From Shadow to Reality to be great and have since purchased your book Reasons for Belief. I have a question about a statement you made on page 144 of From Shadow to Reality. I understand the 2 classes of sacrifices… worship/offering and for sin, and how the worship sacrifice is […]
Question: My question is on this passage: “For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by […]
Question: Parchment 470–a Catholic writing from 250 AD that says they worshipped Mary in the early Christian church..this is from a Catholic scholar’s site from Canterbury England, I should have written down his name but I forgot to….he is trying to win Protestants to his Catholic faith. Answer: It is true that there is a […]
Question: I have a comment regarding your response to the question “If the Hebrew word “yom” in Genesis means a 24 hour period, why do you interpret it figuratively to be a period of time?” I do not agree with your answer. In NET translation it says “There was evening, and there was morning, a […]
Question: Why did Jesus keep telling people not to tell anyone that he healed them? He knew that by sharing that news many people would get to know him, so why not let them do it? Even when he told them to be silent the news of his power spread everywhere, didn’t it? Answer: Jesus […]
Question: I’ve been reading through the Book of Esther and some small nuances have caught my attention. One has to do with the background of Haman the Agagite. Most websites I’ve found claim that he was a descendent from Agag King of the Amalekites from 1st Samuel 15. They say that his existence is a […]
Question: Is there any evidence in Roman records of Jesus’ body being stolen? There is an account of the body being stolen in Jewish records, but what about Roman records? Answer: The answer is no. There are no ancient Roman records of Jesus’ body being stolen. We have the Roman Tacitus reporting in the very early second century that he was […]
Question: In the sermon on the mount, Jesus commands us not to swear at all and, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37; NIV). So is it ok for a Christian to make vows at a wedding and to swear to tell […]
Question: I have some general questions concerning Christianity. How can the Bible be considered inerrant if there are instances of copyist errors such as tht which occurs in 2 Samuel 10:18 and 1 Chronicles 19:18. The second passage mentions 700 and the first mentionsr 7000 slain charioteers? I realize that most of these copyist errors […]
Question: How does the view on suffering in Christianity differ from other religions? Does Christianity have a better answer? Answer: A great question. Before I describe the different worldviews and their view of suffering, let me note that individuals may not act according to the worldview that they appear to believe in. Although atheists, […]
Question: Thank you for answering so many questions! I would like to know your opinion on the legalization of gay marriages across the United States. Answer: I would prefer to defer to my good friend Guy Hammond who is a Christian evangelist who comes from a gay background. My response, in brief, is that we […]
Question: In 1 Samuel 28 Saul consulted a medium which he himself banished before as Samuel instructed him. Why did God allow Samuel’s spirit to talk through the medium? Does it mean such psychics and mediums have access into even the soul of a holy prophet like Samuel? Karen: The events in 1 Samuel 28 […]
Question: Where can I find a book geared to teaching children apologetics: to help them when they face criticism and mocking at school so they are able to provide a loving apologetic answer? I need a book that approaches the answer from the either the naturalistic, or post-modern perspective. Any advice would be greatly appreciated… Answer: […]
Question: What passages in the New Testament portray Egypt as a symbol of “slavery and sin”? Answer: Actually, because of the exile of the Jews in Babylon, the New Testament uses Babylon more often as the symbolic place of sin, and even Rome (Revelation 17:7–18). Examples of Babylon used as a symbol of sin are Revelation 14:8, […]
Question: I’m watching a TV show called Criminal Minds, and the FBI agents often have to lie to serial killers to get the information they need to save other people or they lie to the general public for their own safety so as not to induce a panic or to throw the criminal off so […]
Question: I don’t quite understand 1 Peter 4:5-6. If we have been made righteous through the blood of Jesus, why would we have to give an account of our life, especially since God knows how we have been living and striving to live godly? It seems redundant to me and what would we have to […]
Question: How do i reach out to people who aren’t blatantly sinful Answer: I do not have a simple answer for you. Jesus reached out to some very religious people. That would include Nicodemus in John 3 and the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10. In both cases his “method” was to very deeply challenge […]
Question: I’ve been thinking a lot about why God created us in the first place because it doesn’t really make sense to me. I have been researching and trying to find scriptures that explain it but haven’t really found what I’m looking for. I know the Bible says we were created to glorify him and […]
Question: I see from your articles that you view Genesis 1-3 as ‘true myths’ and I found this view really helpful. I wanted to ask how you determine at what point Genesis stops being a record of hebrew myth and becomes historical. Why, for example, do you not consider chapters 4-11 true myths? I know […]
Question: In this corrupt world, how much does God expect us to forgive? Recently in my country a girl was gang-raped in the most horrible way and finally she even died. Does God expect her parents to forgive those rapists? Why does god even allow such things? Answer: God expects us to forgive up to […]
Question: I love listening to your material about God and Science. How old is the earth really, and why does it matter when talking to non-believers who come from a background of scientific thinking? What’s the deal with dinosaurs and the time frame of Genesis? Do we know the time frame they lived and were […]
Question: I have a friend who is Seventh Day Adventist and we constantly debate whether hell is eternal. I show him passage after passage that demonstrates that the Bible teaches everlasting punishment, but he continues to bring up the fact that, for people in hell, their ultimate fate is to be thrown into the lake […]
Question: Were our founding fathers Christians? I tried to google this and I get secular answers and articles, saying that the founding fathers were Deists not Christians. Answer: I assume you are an American and are asking about the founders of the United States of America. I have already answered this question, so I am […]
Question: I need to bone up on battling a family member who is an agnostic. I want to refute his thinking, but at the same time to speak the truth in love. What do you recommend I read on this website? Thank you! Response: You can find a power point on the existence of God […]
Question: I’ve been listening the audios of the Evidence for Jesus classes. Thank you very much for them. But I have a doubt about the claims of Jesus in John 10. Verses 34 to 36 are rather confusing for me. It says: 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, […]
Question: I have a study that focuses on the words “LORD” Hebrew Yahovah {yeh-ho-vaw’} H3068 from H1961. Jehovah = “the existing One” 1) the proper name of the one true God. “Lord” Hebrew Adonay (ad – o – noy) H136 from H113 1) my lord, lord a) of men b) of God. “Lord” Hebrew “adown” (adone) […]
Question: The book of Numbers says Balaam practiced divination and was certainly a wicked man, worshiping idols. How could a holy God talk through him and even made him bless Israel when Balak wanted them cursed? Doesn’t God detest things like sorcery, divination and witchcraft? Answer: God certainly hates witchcraft, divination and idolatry. However, […]
Question: About eating blood, I recently read an answer by you on whether it is wrong to eat blood (Acts 15:28-29). You said that it is not wrong, but I found some of your answer to be very confusing. You have said that “it is not sinful for a Christian to eat blood” From what […]
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