Question: Hey there,  The below is a question asked on a site that I am getting emails for.  It is Hermeneutics/Stack Exchange.  What do you think about it?     One nuance of the meaning of the serpent’s question hinges on the translation of מִכֹּל עֵץ (Gen 3:1). Translated as “from every tree” or “from any tree” basically determines […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: This question is coming from a Christian in the Middle East who is dealing with relatively unsophisticated Muslim skeptics of the resurrection] Question: Some Christians insist this [the scenario which follows] is exactly what would have happened if the story of Jesus were false. If the tomb were not empty, detractors could have […]

Read More

Question: Some people claim that Jesus Christ didn’t rise on Sunday but on Saturday.  This claim is based on that the Bible said that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb very early in the morning in the first day of the week, and Jesus rose before that, perhaps on Saturday.  They also claim that the […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: this is a follow-up question from a Christian who is in debates with Muslims over the reliability of the Bible. The Gospel of Barnabas is a pseudepigraph (falsely claimed authorship) from about the sixteenth century by a Muslim person who is trying to make it appear that the Gospels are in line with […]

Read More

Question: I have a question concerning the three texts of Torah. I searched in the internet to know the 6000 differences between the three, and found that supposedly 1900 of them where the Septuagint agrees with the Samaritan [editor’s note: the questioner is referring here to the Samaritan Pentateuch], but I found nothing.   Do you […]

Read More

Question: I wanted to ask about how JESUS OUR LORD fulfilled the prophecy of the PROPHET LIKE MOSES. Did Moses mean he would be like him in life similarities such as his infancy in Egypt, being rejected, etc. or more because of the miracles he worked? Thanks in advance Answer: A good rule of thumb […]

Read More

Question: I don’t know how to put this question right, but I’ll give it my best shot.   Hinduism is a religion that has been around many years. It teaches a lot about morals, our duties etc. In Hinduism, basically there is only one God and because of a power or a spirit called Brahman, the […]

Read More

Question: I’m struggling to understand the application of Hebrews 12:17 (and Genesis 25) about Esau’s repentance being no longer acceptable to God even though he sought it diligently with tears. It seems harsh that God would not forgive him even though he begged God and sought repentance.  This makes me afraid that if I mess up […]

Read More

Question: Can you prove that Shiloh in Genesis 49 is Christ?   Can you prove that this prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus?     A Jewish website claims that it wasn’t fulfilled. What’s your comment?    https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/the-scepter-of-judah-shiloh-and-the-messiah/ Answer: We cannot “prove” that the Shiloh in Genesis 49 is the Messiah and that it applies to […]

Read More

Question: Is there proof that the prince in Daniel 9:27 is not Jesus of Nazareth?  Is there hard proof that psalm 22 is speaking about the Messiah? Answer: First of all, such things do not lend themselves to “proof.”  Anyone who claims he or she has “proved” who the prince in Daniel 9:27 is should […]

Read More

Question: Someone asked me a question this weekend that I really thought I had a better answer for, but I didn’t.   With God’s new covenant, what parts of the law are abrogated and which do we still follow (if any)?   I know Hebrews 8 says the first covenant is obsolete with the bringing of the […]

Read More

Question: I’d like to ask your help with a chemistry question if I may.  I’ve been reading up about this amazing enzyme: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orotidine_5%27-phosphate_decarboxylase   This enzyme causes a reaction that would ordinarily take 78 million years take 18 milliseconds. It seems this enzyme is needed to make pyrimidine which is needed to make DNA. Also, I […]

Read More

Question: Were the witnesses to Christs resurrection martyred? Answer: The answers is yes, some of them definitely were martyred, and most likely a significant proportion of the original witnesses of the resurrection were killed for their faith.  There are two categories here.  One, there are the original eyewitnesses about whom we can be virtually certain […]

Read More

Question: My question is, do you have any insight into the story of Sargon vs. the story of Moses? It seems that these tablets from Ashurbanipal are dated much earlier than the account of Moses’ origins written in Exodus. I would greatly appreciate just a brief exposition of your knowledge on the subject. Answer: First […]

Read More

Question: My first question is about John 3:1-8. I was sharing this scripture with a friend and he said the water here is the same living water referred to in Jeremiah 2:13. Therefore the water is not literal but being born again by God who is the living water. I believe the scripture in John […]

Read More

I have a question regarding an article that was posted a few days ago. In this article it talks about how Satan is linked to the serpent in Genesis. The author then goes on to state that the idea of a “prince of darkness” only came about in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and […]

Read More

Question: I read your book Daniel: A Prophet to the Nations (editor’s note: available at www.ipibooks.com) and enjoyed it very much. I was going over my notes from it and got to the part where you talked about the prophesies in Daniel about Antiochus IV and how he was going to desecrate the temple and […]

Read More

Question: I recently got a new study Bible, which describes historical events. In a part of the Bible that says “Ancient Texts Relating to the Old Testament” it describes “Sennacherib’s Prism”: “Sennacherib vividly describes his siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC, making Hezekiah a prisoner of his own royal city (but cf. 2 Kings 19:35-37).” […]

Read More

Question: While reading the book of John, I noticed that Jesus drives out the moneylenders out of the temple long before the triumphant entry in Jerusalem. This differs from the other 3 gospels which shows the scene of cleansing the temple just after the triumphant entry. What do you think of this? Answer: There are […]

Read More

Question: I live in Dubai and have a lot of great Muslim friends. Sometimes we get in discussions on who Jesus is and as you know their view of Jesus is different. They are using Bible quotes to argue that Jesus himself said that he is not God. I can argue that there are many […]

Read More

Question: What criteria do you employ in support of calling something evidence? I am curious because many people I meet only consider something evidence if it was written down and somehow correlates to physical observable objects.  I think differently.  For example, with regard to the Flavius Josephus, and various typology concepts being proposed/investigated by scholars, […]

Read More

Question: My question is about John 1:18. If we use a modern translation, we can clearly notice that the verse says that Jesus is God. But the textus receptus translations just say that Jesus is Son. Which do you think is authentic? Answer: This is a question of translation, not of an error, either in the […]

Read More

Question: I have been doing research on the topic of evolution and found that I don’t understand it fully. I can see the mechanisms described for producing life. The idea of how evolution works does not bother me but there is something that does regarding the historicity of Adam and Eve. I have heard some […]

Read More

Question: About prophets in our present day, the New Testament had prophets like Agabus and Anna. What about our present day? Could God still appoint prophets to guide and direct his church?  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:1 to “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”  This gift can be a blessing to the […]

Read More

Question: A couple of months ago, I had a keen interest in the Gnostic Christian writings. Many of them sounded weird but some really did catch my interest.  Those that caught my interest include the “Protoevagelion of James”, “Arabic Infancy Gospel”, “Acts of Thomas” and “Gospel of Nicodemus”. Now let me tell you why.  The Protoevangelion […]

Read More

Question: I was wondering what is the scholarly consensus and textual reliability regarding St. Cyprian’s Unity of the Church as well as the majority of the early church fathers, thanks. Answer: The reliability of the writings of the “Church Fathers” varies widely.  For example, the First Letter of Clement of Rome is considered by most […]

Read More

Question: This is a question that has been bothering me quite a bit for a long time. It can be easily found that there are differences in the four gospels on certain events. For instance, Jesus says to bring a donkey and its colt for the ride to Jerusalem in Matthew, while it is mentioned […]

Read More

Question: According to the Bible, we are counted as righteous and will be saved not because of our works but by our faith. On the other hand, James said that faith without works is essentially dead. My question I believe is a pretty common one, asked by non-believers or non-Christians, but I’d like to hear […]

Read More

Question: I read a recent article about an ancient Roman document written by a Roman historian who says he witnessed Jesus performing the miracle of bringing a still born infant to life.  Have you heard about this?  Is this story credible? Answer: Sorry but this is a bogus claim put up by a satirical anti-Christian […]

Read More

Question: In spite of the clear teaching in the Bible about being baptized as a necessary part of the miracle of regeneration, how do you explain people’s denominational experience of a changed life when they “prayed Jesus into their heart?” Answer: First of all, I have made it a practice for many years not to […]

Read More

Question: When was Paul killed? I’ve heard one person say AD 64 and someone else say AD 67. Also why was he killed? Answer: Here is the simple answer.  No one knows.  There are two general opinions, as you have heard.  One is that his imprisonment in Rome, as described by Luke, led to his […]

Read More

Question: What is your response to Robert Eisenman’s theories on the Dead Sea scrolls and New Testament?  He states that James is the teacher of righteous and the true leader of the church instead of Peter while Paul is the man of lies and tried to corrupt the Church from within. He also states that […]

Read More

Question: I’ve heard Muslims saying that the Qur’an is the word of God since it contains a lot of scientific miracles in the sense that it gives information about the scientific facts that were discovered after the creation of Islam. For instance, in Sura 39:6 it is mentioned that in a mother’s womb there are threefold […]

Read More

Question: Lord Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 28:18, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”  I have 2 questions: 1- Some critics like some Unitarians say that it’s impossible that Jesus said this because the […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: this question is coming from a Christian in a Muslim country who is answering criticism from Muslims who claim the New Testament has been corrupted] Question: Please, I have questions about the time of writing of the gospels.  The first source outside the New Testament that quoted from the gospels is Clement of […]

Read More