Question: What are the “Powers of the Age to Come”? Answer: I assume that you are quoting from Hebrews 6:5. In context, he is talking about what happens to those who have become Christians but who later fall away. To describe those who have been saved, he talks about “those who have once been enlightened […]
Question: My college friend started to study the Bible and started really well. In fact, she quit her job (she’s a CPA) when she realized it was causing her to sin without us challenging her. But she suddenly sent me a message saying she will no longer attend the service and will not continue to […]
Question: An argument that is used by atheists comes from the situation concerning Pilate, Judas and others associated with condemning Jesus to be crucified. The point that is made is that none of these people had a choice in what they would or would not do. If any of these had changed what they were […]
Questions: I have a couple of general questions below I wanted to ask: 1.) How can Jesus be a Divine Person when He had a literal human body made of flesh. Wouldn’t His fleshly body violate His divine nature and status? 2.) Why did Jesus have to be a male in physical terms to begin […]
Question: My son asked me a question which I didn’t really know how to answer. Is the Sabbath the day we are to go to church and worship together? Or is the Sabbath the day we rest? One of his co-workers told him that Saturday is the day we are supposed to go to church […]
Question: Why does the church follow the doctrine of the divine right of kings, in this country (USA) ? The founding fathers established a government based on limited government and a free market economy. Did the first century church believe in no king but king Jesus ? [editor’s note: This question included a […]
Question: What does a Christian do when he or she can not see the evidence of God’s love in their daily lives? I have been told to understand that the air I breath or the daily food I can eat is an act of love from God. But these basic necessities can be given by […]
Question: I have a question on God’s will. Romans 12:2 and many other passages suggest that doing God’s will can be pleasant, pleasing and perfect, yet It was incredibly hard even for Jesus to do God’s will. Also there are many passages that suggest that doing God’s will entails suffering and hardship. How do we […]
Question: I believe my interpretation of the Bible comes from the Holy spirit not from man. Man may speak words but I think the Holy.spirit opens our hearts to hear his word. I have a hard time with people that say Gods word says such and such which it does but His word also is […]
Question: Dr. Oakes, I have a question about Isaiah 11. I understand that the chapter is a messianic prophecy, but how do you interpret verse 14? Is it fair to say that this would conjure up images of a restored kingdom of Israel (God) and is symbolic of the breaking in of the kingdom in the […]
Question: (editor’s note: this question has to do with a Setswana (Botswana) translation of the Bible, as I just finished visiting there) Hi John. Obviously this is a very bad translation but I thought it would be interesting for you to see it. I have read translations that make better sense but please let […]
Question: I recently saw a question you answered in August of 2013 regarding the Left Behind movie remake. In it you remarked that there was not so much as a hint to support the idea that Left Behind teaches about the Rapture, that non-believers will be left behind on the earth. How can you say […]
Question: I was talking about John’s baptism with a friend recently. I asked, what was the nature of the metanoia (repentance)–the change of thought and attitude of the ancient Jews. He expressed the understanding that John was able to baptize people because they turned away from their sins. I am confused. I looked into John’s […]
QUESTION: This is about the phrase “the last days” in Isaiah 2:2 and Acts 2:17. When I first studied the Bible, I thought it referred to end times. It didn’t make sense to me because if that’s what the Bible meant, then it seemed like a weird time to inaugurate the Church. But since I […]
QUESTION: Hello there, I was just kind of confused why Isaiah 14:4-20 seems to parallel exactly how Athtar overthrew Baal Hadad and enthroned himself atop Mount Zaphon in the Baal Cycle of Ugarit. This is kind of troubling me since it is so similar to the Canaanite account. Why are the mountains the same? and […]
Question: In an article at the site you mentioned that Jesus’s death wasn’t a human sacrifice. In the article you claimed “A human sacrifice is a situation in which a human being kills another human being with the purpose of appeasing a god” True, but didn’t Jesus die to appease the wrath of God […]
Question: Does the Old Testament apply to Christians today or is it only the New Testament that really matters? Answer: Of course the Old Testament applies to Christians today. It comprises over three fourths of our Bibles. Our job is to understand how it applies, not to decide if it applies. Evidence that it applies […]
Question: Does the word completeness in 1 Corinthians 13:10 refer to the Bible? 1 Cor 13:10 – but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. Answer: There has been much debate about this. I certainly will not settle this debate by my response to you. To me, I believe that he is stating a […]
Question: In 2 Chronicles 36:21 it says that “70 years this place will be a wasteland and so the earth will have its Sabbath rest.” What does this mean? If 70 years represents the Sabbath, then is it significant that this is 1/7 part of the 490 years? Does this figure in the Bible? Is […]
QUESTION: In Joshua 3:10 the Bible says that God will drive out the Jebusites, but only a little later it says this: “As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.” How can […]
Question: Can you explain how evil exists in the world without either compromising God’s goodness, His omnipotence, and/or implying dualism? For instance, in Isaiah it is written “I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things,” (45:7) willed into existence by God “I have spoken […]
Question: We have met in Berlin. This is a topic that seems to have stuck with me since being a teenager (I am 34 now) and I would be very glad if I could have some exchange with you on this. To equate the first three empires of Daniel 2 as Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece is beyond […]
QuestionIn my study this morning I came across your Q/A about Paul (the apostle). You say that John does not mention him in Revelation. John started the church in Ephesus and it was later “taken over” or “led” by Paul. This led me to a quandry. First, Paul would make the apostles number grow […]
Question: I am re-reading your awesome book: “Daniel, Prophet to the Nations”. I am using this to study with a pre-millennial believer to show the kingdom came “in the days of those kings”. (2:44) As you may already guess, the going is slow. But the argument should be easy if we get through Daniel… The […]
Question: I recently read 2 Samuel 24 and I don’t understand how I should understand it. (V1) Why did God burn against Israel? And why did he incite David to take a census? Also, why does it say in 2 Chron 21:1 that it was Satan who incited David? (V10) Also, why did David say […]
Editor’s note: The following is a series of questions and answers. The tone is more familiar than usual because this discussion is happening with a good friend. Question: I just read your paper, “A Closer Look at the Laws of Thermodynamics.” It was great. Thanks. I have a comment, though. From Pr 16:33 we learn that anything that […]
Question: I am now studying at the Moscow Seminary, where one of the teachers made a statement. He said that some animals are considered unclean because they broke the commandment of God with regard to their environment. For examples, hares run on land, but are not allowed to go into holes. Also some animals eat other […]
Question: Hello, John! Thank you for always answering questions, and your answers are always wise and humble! I have a question regarding the passage in Genesis 15:16. It says that the measure of iniquity Amorites not yet fulfilled. What could this mean? Does this mean that this, and perhaps other Nations, was allotted a certain […]
Question: I have a question about 1 Tim 4:1. The passage says that “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” Does this mean that demons still exist? My understanding is that demons only existed during the time of Jesus when they […]
Question: I hope my email finds you doing well my friend. I wanted to see if you could help with a previous question I had originally asked you. Here’s the question “What about the charge that God demands his people to force or sell their daughters into prostitution? The scripture that I believe is taken […]
Question: I hope my email finds you doing well my friend. I wanted to see if you could help with a previous question I had originally asked you. Here’s the question “What about the charge that God demands his people to force or sell their daughters into prostitution? The scripture that I believe is […]
Editor’s note: Clearly this is not a Christian evidence question, but I get versions of this often enough, I feel I should post an answer. Question: Recently in a Bible study, we were studying John 1. When we came to the issue of the John’s baptism v the baptism of today, we had difficulty. And […]
Editor’s note: A rather odd question for a Christian Evidences website, but I like to answer all questions, so here goes: MESSAGE: I’d like to know about the role of women in the church. According to 1 Co 14:-34-35 and 1 Tm 2:13-14, we can’t lead and teach in public, but what about leading other […]
Question: In Mark 13:32 Jesus(as man) did not know the hour o his return 2000 years ago, BUT did Jesus (as alleged god) know the hour 2000 years ago? Answer: Jesus was not an “alleged” God. Jesus was God in the flesh, as John tells us in John 1:1 and John 1:18. While in the earthly […]
QUESTION: Hello, I have recently been wondering why Judaism seems to reject Jesus as the Messiah. I have found that they have a list of prophecies that they show as evidence of his failure to fulfill the position of Messiah. Do you think you could help explain each of the following prophecies? If they are […]
Question: What literature will you suggest me to understand the Second Coming of Jesus? Thank you very much. I have already read two books of John Oakes: Reasons for Belief and From Shadow to Reality, they are amazing. God bless you Answer: There is a lot of bad information out there about the second coming […]
QUESTION: I have studied and read some of the ancient rites that other nations practiced in regards to tattoos and cutting themselves. For a follower of Jesus, how would Leviticus 19:28 relate for today? Anthony: The common interpretation of Leviticus 19:28 is that it prohibits what we would call tattoos for those under the Covenant […]
QUESTION: Hi Dr J. I have just clipped your interpretations of the four parts of the great statue in Daniel for my study: nice summary. But I have been struggling with the origin of the two beasts in Rev 13:1,11. Antichrist-beast comes from the sea – apparently the disorganised nations (whatever they are); but what […]
Question: I recently looked over an essay from Douglas Jacoby on the doctrine of hell and it has changed my views of what it is. I believe the scriptures are pretty clear on it not being eternal torment although some scriptures are up for debate because of ambiguity regarding the word eternal but nonetheless my […]
Question: I have a question about Isaiah 65. Isaiah 65 : 20 talks about how it will be in heaven (new heaven and new earth). Yet, it suggests there will be deaths (since it says he who dies at hundred will be considered young). I am not sure what it means since the Bible indicates […]
Question: How do you reconcile Matt 16:26,27? They are two distinct prophecies in these verses. One is about the distant future which is the judgment.The other happened six days later. Answer: First of all, I assume you mean Matthew 16:27-28, not 26-27. In this little prophecy of Jesus he is doing what he often did, which is mix prophecies […]
[editor’s note: this is clearly not a Christian evidence question but we get this question fairly often so thought an answer would be useful to some of our readers] Question: I have a friend I have been studying with about baptism. She has shared with me the belief that we do not need to be baptized to […]
QUESTION: I am studying with a pre-millenialist who is particularly caught up with Israel, end-times, and the special role of Jerusalem. The materials on Jacoby’s [editor’s note: he is referring to douglasjacoby.com] site recently published on the mass conversion of Israel were timely as well as John Oakes messages on the Kingdom of God. Thanks! […]
QUESTION: In Ezekiel 14: 14, 18 God said that even if NOAH, DANIEL and JOB were in the country, they would have only saved themselves by their righteousness. He would still stretch out his hand. He said if the three men were in the country, they would not save their daughters and sons. They will only save […]
Comment: I am wondering about the idea of sins of the Father being passed on to the future generations or in this case all of us being blamed for Adam’s sin. By ANY measure you wish to use, this is against all natural justice and fairness as is the idea that someone/anyone can take away […]
Questions: If Genesis is not literally true (for example Adam and Eve made in our image as we are now), then can Christians at least accept it calls into question the fall of man and a need for redemption by God via human sacrifice of Jesus? Simple question 1. If you accept the Bible as […]
QUESTION: I have tried to convince Jehovah Witnesses that Jesus is God but they interpret differently the scripture. Do you have a different aproach or material about this question? Answer: I address the question of Jehovah Witness teaching in notes and a power point at the web site. I suggest you go to the power point […]
Question: I need your help on a few hard questions an atheist friend asked me: Before I state the questions, I wanted to let you know I have thoroughly looked at your articles on your website- Apologetics and Old Testament Atrocities. So here are the questions asked: What do you expect from a religion whose […]
Question: I talked with someone from Asembly church and they say we should worship God on Saturday which is Shabbat day. Here are some scripture he showed me. Gen 2:1-3 Exo 20:8-11 Num 28:9-10 Mat 5:17-18 Jn 1:29 Lk 4:16 Mat 7:21-23 Mat 15:7-9 Mk 16:9 He said, worshiping God on Sunday is the ritual of men […]
QUESTION: What does 1 Thessalonians 5:20 “Do not scoff at prophecies,but test everythiing that is said” mean? Answer: We do not know the exact context of the interesting command from Paul to the Thessalonians. We must assume that some were “scoffing” at prophecies. Another translation has them treating certain prophecies “with contempt.” I will speculate […]
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