Did the “disciples” get baptized again on the day of Pentecost or was Jesus baptism the same as for the forgiveness of sins? This is a fairly common question. Unfortunately, to answer the question requires speculation. The Bible simply does not answer this questions. You can assume that the answer you get to this question […]
*Did the messianic prophecies foretell of the “second coming?” *Does God explicitly reveal to Moses the 8 day circumcision decision procedure or is it more like it was a “best practices” act that was handed down over generations and then was written down by Moses? *Do we know how long Jesus was in Egypt? There […]
Have you noticed there are two accounts in the bible of Jesus cursing the fig tree and when Jesus drove the money changers out? In one account, Jesus drove the money changers out and then cursed the fig tree the next day. (Matthew 21:10-22). And in the other account he cursed the fig tree first […]
I’m writing to ask if you have any explanation for one apparent discrepancy that I have often wondered about: “three days and three nights”. I have read that the “days” part of that statement was due to the Jewish tradition of counting any part of a day as a whole day in the description of […]
Why dopastors still preach teach and insist on Old Testament laws when the same stand cancelled in the New Testament? Preachers teach the need for Christians to follow the Old Testament law because of bad theology. This is one of the most common false doctrines in the “Christian” world. Different religious groups teach the need […]
In anew Comparative Religion course I’m taking at school. we’re currently studying Hinduism and will soon move on to Buddhism its actually quite fascinating. Hinduism, with all its splendid contradictions and incongruities, is really not that bad of a religion. Dont get me wrong, my faith is not wavering but I found that studying the […]
Genesis 11:1 says that the world at that time “had one language and a common speech.” However, Genesis 10:5 seems to imply that there was more than one language at that same time. Please explain this. I can think of a couple of possible explanations, but the most obvious one is probably correct. Although Genesis […]
I have been studying the new testament for the past 6 months and found a lot of encouragement generally throughout and it was leading me to begin to believe, though some parts of the text I found a bit troubling and not often addressed by other Christians other preachers. I even discovered some misinformation on […]
For some time I have held the view that the age of the earth, dinosaurs, and remains like “Lucy” can be explained by the gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The earth was created “in the beginning”, not the first day. The earth was then “formless and void”, a phrase that can be rendered […]
As usual I have another query. This is regarding the Baptism for the Dead mentioned in 1Cor15:29: “Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?” Now I know this cannot mean that Paul […]
Micah 5:2 Says that the messiah would be born in Betlehem. After that it goes on to speak of the assassins invading Israel and that he and 7 others would save Israel. (v.4-6).What’s that about? If also verses 4-6 can apply to the same great leader in v.2 (and it seems to me that it […]
In Luke 2:49 Jesus refers to Temple of Jerusalem as his father’s house. Also, King Solomon built this Temple for God according to His instruction. However, in Acts 17:24 it is taught that God does not live in any human built building. I am having some difficulty to explain this issue can you please help […]
I was fielding some good questions from co-workers today like — “If all roads don’t lead to God, then how do you know which one is right? I know many people from different religions that seem very happy and fulfilled from their faith. It’s not fair that God will send people to hell if they’re […]
What does the Bible says about slavery? Many people have tried to argue that since the Bible endorses slavery, citing certain pauline letters which seem to encourage compliance with slavery, then the Bible must be flawed and therefore not the word of God. I was wondering how you would answer this? Also, if God made […]
Can a disciple of Jesus have a relationship with someone who is not? Jesus certainly had relationships with people who were not his followers. How can we influence the world if we are not willing to have relationships with those who are in the world. I am guessing that you are asking if it is […]
If our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisee to enter the kingdom, should we be perfect as our Father in heaven is? Are there any exceptions according to Christ? It seems that the scriptures say you must be perfect according to the Gospels, but Paul mentions grace. Yet Christ never mentions the word grace. […]
What did God say to Job about water molecules and where do I find it in the Bible? I am going to guess that the passage you are referring to is found in Job 36:27. Here, Elihu says “He draws up the drops of water which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour […]
You have said, based on Luke and Hebrews, that if a person continues sinning constantly after they have received the Holy Spirit they will be dammed to hell-what about the prodigal son story of God always forgiving, and always being able to come back to God? Excellent question. Of course, the story of the prodigal […]
I have really been struggling a lot over this one… I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and thus does not contain obvious error and contradictions that would make it untrustworthy. Yet upon reading the gospel accounts of Peter’s denial of Jesus, there seems to be a glaring contradiction here. In […]
I know this is impossible to answer, but I have always been told that when you die and go to Heaven, that you will get a new body, and there will be no sorrow, hurts, wants,etc;………so my question is…Do you think that our loved ones that are in Heaven can somehow see us, or hear […]
I would say that at first glance this passage might be difficult to understand if one were assuming it was about judgment day. God is talking about bringing physical judgment on the city of Jerusalem and on Judah for their unrighteous deeds. In fact, that is the main subject of Ezekiel chapters 20-23. Israel had […]
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 […]
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