Question: After death do we go to heaven, hell, or do we “sleep” until the return of Christ? Answer: This is a very good question. To be honest with you, to do justice to this question would require an answer of at least ten pages. Besides, I do not feel particularly qualified to answer this […]
I am not sure if there are any important physical lessons to learned from David and Goliath except perhaps that a small stone can do a lot of damage if moving fast enough! There are many spiritual lessons to be gleaned from David and Goliath! The most clear lesson is that reliance on God is […]
What does the King James Bible say about the curse Noah put on his grandson Canaan? and Where in the King James Bible did Noah tell Canaan that his off springs would be dark? First, it is probably better to ask where in the Bible such things are found or not found. The King James […]
If all good things come from heaven, where did Lucifer get the mindful thought to be jealous of God. In other words, where did he get his wicked ways from in the first instance? God loves us so much and He knew man would not be able to resist Satan’s wicked ways so why do […]
I am a smoker and have limitations as to where I can and cannot serve in my church. I can head up the children’s church but cannot sing in the praise and worship band. Please help me to understand this. It is very difficult for me to comment on your specific church situation, as I […]
I understand that the Bible says that you must repent and be baptized to get the forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit, but my friend who is studying the Bible believes that he was saved and received the Holy Spirit when he was Pentecostal even though he didn’t believe in a “biblical baptism” because […]
As far as God condoning killing, I understand that he hates sin and so seeks to establish justice on the earth; however, it’s not that he condones killing that bothers me, but that he used Israel to do it! Israel was as sinful (if not more so) than the nations surrounding them. Sinful people killing […]
I wondering about chapter 9 (of the book Daniel in the Bible), if it is not possible to look at the last week as taking 70 years instead of 7, and have it overlap the others so that it covers from the birth of Jesus till the destruction of the temple in which case Jesus […]
The meaning of your question is unclear. I can think of a few possible interpretations of this question: 1. Are the teachings of the Old Testament followed by certain religious groups today? 2. Is it correct to teach that Christians should be following all or part of the Old Testament Law? 3. Does the New […]
John 14;13 John 16:23-24 John15:16 John 15:7 It’s clear that if we ask Jesus anything in his name he will do it for us. Every prayer , I pray it in Jesus’ name, but not all of them are answered. On the other hand I can find many conditions for an answered prayer, for example […]
The NIV has the term ‘deaconnesses’ in the footnotes. Biblically is there such a thing as a deaconness and what would their role be if there is? There are two questions implied here. One is whether there is such a thing as a deaconess, and the other is whether this is implied by the Bible. […]
I’m studying with two Mormons currently and a question was brought up that stumped me. I was asked “what happens to people who haven’t heard about Christ”. They weren’t referring to individuals today but to the time before Christ and even people on different continents. After reading the book of Mormon I see they believe […]
I was reading your book about Daniel, and I wanted to ask some questions about Daniel chapter 7 and your comment, because there were some thingswhich weren’t clear to me. 1) In the Roman Empire there weren’t just 11 kings, I mean after Domitian came a lot of other kings in the Roman Empire who […]
Certainly there are a number of views on what Jesus meant when he referred to the “unforgivable sin” of blasphemy against the Spirit. Rather than summarize the many points of view, please allow me to give my own best understanding of what Jesus had in mind when he mentioned blaspheming against the Spirit. A general […]
In asking this question, you are bringing up a very broad subject of theology. This area of theology is known as eschatology. Eschatology is the study of end times–such concepts as the nature of a future Kingdom of God, of Judgment Day, of heaven and hell. In the Bible, the end times could be used […]
In 1 Corinthians 13:10 it says when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. What does ‘perfection’ represent in this passage? I’ve heard that it’s talking about the NT Canon, but how do we know? People have told me that perfection is being face to face in Heaven with God. I understand somewhat that spiritual gifts don’t […]
My men’s group is studying the life of David. Good stuff! I have a question regarding David and Jonathan’s friendship. Specifically, 2 Samuel 1:26 where David speaks “your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.” Some gay communities argue or use the David/Jonathan friendship to mean more… Would you comment on […]
In Mathew 24:35 when the Lord says this generation will not pass away or taste death before you see these things happen, speaking of His coming. What did He mean? Since it seems that every place the Lord says this generation or age He means the one He’s talking to right then. Many believe that […]
What is the Song of Songs about? I heard I’m not supposed to read it because it’s for married people. If we say we need to read the whole Bible, why not Song of Songs? If we don’t read Song of Songs than we cannot we say we’ve read the whole Bible. I’m kind of […]
In Matthew 2:15, Matthew is quoting the OT text that was referring to Jesus (Hosea 11:1). This is a so called messianic prophecy. But if you read the context of the OT verse, it was speaking of Israel whom God called, not at all about Jesus. If it is talking about Jesus when you read […]
In Leviticus 11:20 it says the Israelites must not eat ‘four-legged’ insects. I was wondering what ‘four’ meant for that passage and if all insects were considered four-legged literally? Actually, my English translation says “all flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you.” I would take “all fours” to be […]
I would say the answer is none. Perhaps you are referring to the statement of Job in Job 3:11, 12 in which he was so worn out and full of grief that in an emotional outburst he declared; “Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were […]
The only thing I can imagine you are referring to are the five gold rats given in an offering by the Philistines to appease God in 1 Samuel 6:4. These gold rats were fashioned by the idol-makers of the Philistines. John Oakes, PhD
I was wondering what your take on Matthew 24:14 is. I’ve been reading through it and, before reading any commentaries, I thought that perhaps Jesus was teaching us that when we’ve accomplished the great commission, reaching all the world with the gospel of God’s kingdom, he would come back for his church and for judgment. […]
Where in the Bible did God promise David that he would place one of his descendants on his throne? That would be in 2 Chronicles 17:12-14 and Psalms 89:4 as well as 2 Samuel 7:14-16. Other passages could be used as well, such as Psalms 2:7, where he is speaking through David to his “son” […]
I understand that the entire Bible is God-breathed. In the light of this unchangeable truth how are we to apply the book of Job to our lives? I don’t mean here, the overall theme i.e. that sometimes bad things do happen to good people. God’s integrity was at stake here. Job’s friend’s speeches take up […]
Psalm 51:5 says David was born into sin, and in sin did his mother conceive him. Can you explain to me please what that passage is referring to and the meaning of it. I’m kind of confused and it seems like it’s talking about original sin or necessary infant baptism? Also, Romans 5:12 says sin […]
I understand Isaiah 14 is a prophecy against Babylon (is Nebuchadnezzar intended? or the entire Babylonian kingdom – this is a sub-question). However, I have read a number of books where the authors have stated that this is a reference to Satan. They quote vs.12-14 and say these contain the five ‘I Will’s’ of Satan. […]
How do we know how to interpret the Bible correctly? How many interpretations are there in general? I was thinking one, but I don’t know for sure. You are asking a very broad question. One can take an entire college course in this subject. In fact, one can earn a PhD in the study of […]
What is 1 Corinthians 15:5, mean when it says Jesus appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve? Are the Twelve, the 12 apostles during Jesus’ ministry? Because Judas was dead when Jesus appeared to everyone who saw. And Matthew 28 says he appeared to the Eleven. Do you know what the scripture is referring […]
What does Jesus mean when he says in Matt 24:36-37: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” I have wondered myself […]
Mark 10:5 says “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote this law but at the beginning of the creation ….” what does it mean because your hearts were hard ? It’s not logical that God changes his commandments because our hearts are hard. There’s nothing else that God has changed because of […]
In the Transfiguration, (Mt 17:3) Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus. Where had they been all the while? They weren’t in heaven right? Jesus said no one had been to heaven except Himself (Jn 3:13). Then where were they?? Also what exactly happened in the passage given below? I mean aren’t the dead to rise […]
What about the Giants like Goliath? Is there any record outside the Bible that describes them? And how can I explain 2 Samuel 21:19? I suppose you will find some one who will claim that some obscure reference to giants in the literature of the Assyrians or the Egyptians or so forth supports the Biblical […]
I know that the soul who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel18). Was that from the beginning of the creation? Or it has begun in Ezekiel 18 , because I can see that Abraham was a righteous man and was blessed, so Isaac & Sarah were also blessed because of Abraham . On […]
I have heard that the word ‘made’ in Genesis, actually means appointed in Hebrew not made (to make). Does this means that God could have created, appointed, Adam from an already upright walking species and formed it with dust into what we now know as Humans? My Hebrew dictionary defines the word asa as to […]
How can I explain verses like Matthew 16:28 where it seems like Jesus was saying to some that they wouldn’t die before seeing the Son of man coming in His Kingdom ? Jesus did not came back in the first century. Was he saying that he would come back in the first century, or did […]
I know that the God of the Bible is all-knowing but doesn’t it seem that in Genesis 2 God made Adam and did not know that Adam wouldn’t find a companion? Why didn’t he make them at the same time if he know that no other animal would compare to Adam? God did know that […]
How can I explain the words of Jesus in John 7:17? All religions work don’t they? And, How can I know that the Bible is the inspired word of god, there are a lot of things that we just take for right which are not that logical. For instance the flood, Adam and Eve, Jonah […]
Can you help me understand the meaning of the Sabbath Day in Hebrews 4? In Hebrews 4, the Hebrew writer is using the analogy of the Sabbath rest to the future rest for those who enter heaven. To bring this home you really need to go back to Hebrews 3:12-19. In this section, the writer […]
As for the Behemoth, why would God imagine a creature just to compare himself to it? It wouldn’t make sense to say you are like a borificjamble a creature, which you made up and is very, very, strong; no one would relate to the borififjamble and your meaning would be lost. As for dragons, why […]
Where did Cain’s wife come from in Genesis 4? This is a fairly common question. I have only seen only one reasonable explanation which does not require bending the biblical text. That is to assume that Adam and Eve had a great number of children and that Cain married one of them. Clearly if there […]
How can people say the power of the Holy Spirit was for the apostles and not for today? What scripture would support such a claim? That would depend on what is meant by the claim. If someone claims that we cannot receive the Holy Spirit today, they are obviously wrong. As it says in Acts […]
What is Chaff? Chaff is the straw which is collected along with the grain when such crops as wheat, barley, millet and rice are harvested. In biblical times, the wheat was removed from the chaff by throwing both up into the air. The wheat, being more dense, would fall back into the original container, while […]
“I understand (and have read) your view of the old earth theory. I was wondering how would you line up the old earth theory with Romans 5:12. It seems that if death were already occurring prior to the fall of man (which would be the case if the earth is billions of years old) than […]
I read the Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 accounts and they seem contradictory. I began the Adam and Eve at Genesis 2:7 and was not able to completely eliminate discrepincies. My major confusion is that in Genesis 2 it seems that the order of the creation of man and the creation of animals is reversed. […]
Genesis describes pairs of each of the animals, but seven of certain animals. These were the ceremonially clean animals which Noah and his family were to eat while on the ark. These animals are domesticated ones. Genesis 7:1,2 says to take two of each animal, except seven of each clean animal. I admit I am […]
I really enjoyed the book From Shadow to Reality. It gave me a more global perspective for the whole Bible and tied up some loose ends for me. I did have a question though about something you wrote. At one point, you wrote that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of coming from the lineage of Judah […]
Miracle of Science or Perspective of the observer; Did the sun stand still? God is a God of order, yet he performs miracles outside of the natural laws that govern our world. From a scientific perspective, even a miracle would not allow the sun to suddenly simply stop in the sky. That would mean that […]
Could the characters “Cain and Abel” and “Jacob and Esau?” be perhaps symbolic or representative of a species, not actual individuals? Or be real individuals that have symbolic meaning for different species that have existed in the past? Personally, I would hold out that Cain and Abel (and Adam and Eve for that matter) were […]
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