Questions: I have been considering a full time life in missions in a third world country and had some questions I thought you could answer related to what I think may seem contradictory or unjust in the Bible. I have had some experience with “gospel friends” or people I try to teach Christ to currently. […]
Question: I have a question from an atheist ex-Christian. Regarding John 14:12-14, my friend asks me why so many prayers go unanswered? Basically he’s using the premises from this page: http://godisimaginary.com/i1.htm . He also claims time is not a factor, if we wait long enough, prayer will not be answered also (I guess he means when […]
QUESTION: How should I understand what Jesus said in Revelation 2:28 when he said that he will give those who are victorious the morning star when he is the morning star? Answer: I assume you are aware that Revelation is written in a highly symbolic style. As a rule, we should not take what is […]
QUESTION: What does Revelation 21: 8 means when it says that the wicked will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur? Are the souls to be punished there eventually going to vanish? Answer: The meaning of Revelation 21:8 is that those who rebel against God and refuse to accept his love and salvation […]
QUESTION: I am wondering – why did John bother baptizing people if they were not receiving the Holy Spirit?… Answer: Interesting that we just studied this topic in the Bible group at my house this evening. According to Mark 1:4 the baptism of John was a baptism “of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” It might […]
QUESTION: In Revelation chapters 2 & 3, there are 7 churches mentioned. Is there any reason why these particular churches were included in the list? Why only seven? Are they the only churches that was persecuted by the emperor that time? Why were the church in Rome or Jerusalem or other churches that we commonly know in New […]
Question: Hope you are keeping well. I had a look into 1Cor11 about women shaving their hair. I do not understand 1Cor11:2-16. Does it mean women should not shave their hair? Someone said to me Paul was making sure that women in the church don’t look like prostitutes who at that time shaved their hair. However […]
QUESTION: I have a question concerning the following passage: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing […]
QUESTION: What are the differences between premillenialism, postmillenialism, and amillenialism? What is the most biblical view among the three? Do they have similarities? Answer: Postmillenialism, premillenialism and amilenialism are three views of eschatology, which is a fancy way of saying they are views of the nature of end-times. Arguably, postmillenialism and premillenialism are more similar, […]
Question: I’ve seen the article below posted in a social networking site. it concludes that we cannot live or show the gospel which for me is misleading. I think the problem in this article is how it defines the word “gospel”. Can you help me define further the word “Gospel”? Its Greek definition, where it […]
QUESTION: I have some questions about John chatper 3 1) What does Jesus mean when he said “we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen” in John 3:11? Does Jesus states to Nicodemus a general fact that, as people, we speak of what we know? Or does the “We” in […]
Question: Is Jesus Yahweh? Answer. The Bible makes it clear that there is one God. Christians are monotheists. There are literally hundreds of passages which tell us that there is one God. At the web site there is a power point in the power point section on Christian Theology which lists dozens of these passages. […]
Question: I was wondering about this scripture in Mark 11:23-24: “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever […]
Question: I had a another question concerning scripture that I wanted to get your point of view on. What is your take on these two scriptures? 1 Kings 22:17-23 (NIV) [17] Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, `These people have no master. […]
Question: During a recent discussion with some fellow Christians the topic of the teacher came up. A leader quoted Jesus’s statement in the Bible in Mat 23:8-10 to say that teachers are not required. Here is the relevant passage: “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for one is your teacher, the Christ, and you […]
Question: I have been reading your book Daniel : a prophet to the nations and I found it to be very educational. However, I sent a part of the book about premillenialism to a premillenialist. I thought it would be proper to get a response to some of the questions you raised and that I […]
QUESTION: I’ve had a question that has really troubled me. Why is it that God would want us to be upset & regret Jesus dying on the Cross for our sins when his sacrifice was apart of God’s eternal plan in the first place? In other words, how could we feel “cut to the heart” […]
QUESTION: Why do you think David uses gruesome imagery for righteous victors over wicked foes in the following verses? Psalm 58:10 “The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.”Psalm 68:23 “that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while […]
QUESTION: I realize there may be speculation on an answer for this question. However, in Exodus how were Pharaoh’s sorcerers able to turn their staff into snakes just like when Aaron threw down his staff? Could this be Satan and if so does he really have this kind of power. I believe the Exodus accounts […]
Question: Many people cite Isaiah 17 as further evidence of a coming Armageddon. In current news, syria (and damascus ) do have an internal war going on. Verse 4-6 seem to imply Israel will be attacked or face a consequence related to the destruction damascus, concurrently. My question is: Has the destruction of Damascus happened […]
Question: I am in a discussion with a friend in St. Louis. One issue he has brought up and its implication is that theistic evolution cannot be true as death did not enter into the realm of creation until Adam and Eve sinned and thus the geological sediments and all the animals and plants could […]
QUESTION: I was reading the Gospel of John earlier today and I came across the crucifixion account. There was one verse that I’m pretty sure I’ve looked over before but caught my attention this time around. John 19:36 “For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will […]
Question: How is it that when God makes creation beautiful to the eye it is considered godly but when we value beauty to the eye, it isn’t considered godly? (prov 31:30, 1st peter 3:3) Or when God wants to build an entire city, New Jerusalem, with diamonds and gold ( revelations 21) it is considered […]
QUESTION: In a recent post you said: “the word “eternal” always means until the thing is completed. This applies to our eternal life as well.” Where did you come up with that definition? Rev 22:5 says believers will reign forever and ever. There is no “until the thing is completed” attached to this. Neither does […]
QUESTION: How does one explain the fact of Lot’s wife being converted into salt when they were running away from Sodom’s destruction? What is the “logic” or scientific” explantion behind this fact. Answer: I do not believe that there is any “scientific logic” to what happened to Lot’s wife. What happened to his wife is […]
QUESTION: What is the context of James 5:16? What does confessing our sins have in relation to anointing the sick and him being raised up? Is that a commandment from Jesus to confess our sins to each other in any context? Answer: It does appear that James is a bit random in what he is talking […]
QUESTION: I recently watched a video by Edward Fudge on Hell; you can see it at Douglas Jacoby’s website, clearly Douglas agrees with him, I would like your opinion. editor’s note: The lecture can be viewed at http://vimeo.com/30967402 Douglas Jacoby’s site is www.douglasjacoby.com Answer: I just listened to the lecture by Edward Fudge. I believe […]
QUESTION: My friend is convinced that Jesus Christ commanded us to wash one another’s feet, literally. I would like to know how you understand the commandment of Jesus . Answer: I know of no serious Bible scholar who interprets what Jesus said in John 13:14 literally. As far as I know, none of those who […]
Question: I was reading chapter 4 of Exodus this morning and a few things confused me. I am hoping that you can explain them or direct me to the answers. 1. (v 21-23) The LORD references Israel being his firstborn son. I’ve never noticed this before. Are there other references in the OT like this? What […]
Question: I want to study out the New Testament and learn the Greek/Hebrew original words to understand it better. Do you know of any good Bibles, or concordances, etc? Answer: I commend your desire to “take it deeper” and to study the scriptures more comprehensively. We tend to get out of our Bible study in […]
QUESTION: I was wondering if you could help me interpret 1 John 2:26-27? I know that the author is writing to a group of Christians, perhaps eyewitnesses of Christ. However once the author addresses the anointed he tells them that they have no need for anyone to teach them. He writes, “you have no need […]
Question: Correct me if I am incorrect in my interpretation: God tells the Jews a key sign to look for is Elijah,who would come before the Messiah, and then God secretly puts the spirit of Elijah in the form of John the Baptist (who himself says he is not Elijah…) What would be the point […]
Question: I wonder sometimes about Job. As he was “blameless and upright” (Job 1:1), in some translations “perfect and upright”, does it mean that he was sinless? The Bible teaches that no one is sinless (except Jesus), I guess Job was not sinless. So what makes him “blameless” or “perfect”? I know that every OT prophet […]
Question: When I was reading in 1 Corinthians 7, I noticed that Paul said a rather peculiar thing. He said “To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord)…” (verse 12). What does this mean? If the words that followed this were “not [from] the Lord” then wouldn’t that mean that it was not inspired? Answer: […]
Question: I’ve had several debates lately, one a Christian and an unbeliever re: the paganism involved in our holidays (i.e. Christmas/Easter). I’ve already forwarded the article you had on Christmas to them, however, now there’s the debate w/ Easter and my believing friend is even arguing that if the OT law is obsolete, than why did Jesus […]
Question: (editor’s note: This is a very long question!) I have a two part question for you. I. I have been reading about very young children who have claimed to have gone to or seen heaven after having both visual or death experiences particularly two named Akiana Kramarik, age 7, and Colton Burpo, age 4. […]
Question: The prefiguring and foreshadowing in the NT is so vast. I know a lot of them but also know that I’m missing out on a lot. Is there an exhaustive resource for them? A book maybe that you recommend? Answer: Yes I do. The answer is that the most thorough book […]
QUESTION: Is it wrong for Christians to eat blood? Should we follow Acts 15:28-29 literally? If so, can you please explain why? Thanks a lot for your clarification. Answer: I am surprised that when I checked I found out that I have never answered this question at the web site. I have gotten it a […]
Question: I was going over Amos in my quiet times and came across this scripture: Amos 9:13-15 (NIV) [13] “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. […]
Question: I have a question. Perhaps you can help me. The New Testament was written in Greek. Most of the ‘love’ words are ‘agape’. My dictionary and lexicon both define ‘agape’ as unconditional love. 1 John 4:16 says that ‘God is love’, agape. John 3:16 says ‘God so loved the world’, agape; this implies unconditional love, it […]
QUESTION: Hi. I have a question about salvation. I was wondering if salvation is set in stone at the moment of accepting Jesus as savior, or if it can be taken away somehow. It is really confusing me and hurting my faith in christianity in general. I have learned that much of Christianity is just […]
Does Ephesians 1:11-14 mean we are saved merely by having the word of God preached? Question: I’ve been thinking about Ephesians 1:11-14 and baptism. Ephesians clearly states that a person is included in Christ when they hear the word of God preached. In addition it states that they’re marked and sealed with the Holy Spirit […]
How do you respond to claims that Matthew (2:15) takes Hosea 11:1 out of context? What about Matthew 2:18 (weeping in Ramah)? Question: First I would like to mention that I am a Christian and am very grateful for your “questions and answers” section. I catch myself spending hours reading your answers for fun. I […]
Question: Do you know who the seven shepherds and eight leaders of men are in Micah 5:5? Answer: Micah 5:5 is apocalyptic literature. This is a kind of literary style which was common in Jewish writings in the centuries immediately before and after the ministry of Jesus. It is also common in the Bible, with […]
Question: Here’s a difficult question, and one I’ve been struggling with for a while. Is it possible that the Gospel of John contains certain sayings ascribed to Jesus that he didn’t actually say? I realize that this question sounds like it implies an attack on Biblical Inerrancy, but that problem can be avoided by making […]
Question: In Daniel 12:1 does the phrase (at that time) mean that Daniel 12:1-4 finds its fullfilment at the same time as the end of the greek empires as discibed in daniel 11:40-45? Answer: I am not sure, but I have an opinion. In Daniel 11:45 the vision is completing the vision of the final […]
Question: I think that the one story that undoes the Bible and the claims made about its infallibility and God’s loving kindness is the story of Elijah calling down evil in the name of Jehovah on children. You defend it in the manner of someone who doesn’t really believe that 42 children were torn to […]
Question: When did Christians begin to understand that the articles in the temple were foreshadows of Jesus? For example the bread on the Showbread table is a foreshadow of Jesus as the "Bread of Life". Did the disciples teach this principal? Did this thinking come later as the books of the Bible were collated? Answer: […]
Question: When does one receive the Holy Spirit? Answer: This is one of the easiest questions I have ever gotten! The Bible is very clear on this one. In the first gospel sermon, when asked "What we must do?" Peter replied in Acts 2:38-39, "Repent and be baptized so that your sins may be forgiven. […]
Question: My church has always brought us up to believe the Bible is without error and every section in it must be taken literally. Then I have other people tell me that the Bible should not be taken literal. Like the book of Ruth the miracles of Jesus, the Exodus, and others…please forgive me for […]
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