General

/Category Archive for "General"

wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up from an earlier question in which the questioner made claims of Christian borrowing from Zoroastrian sources, and I respectfully asked for actual quotes from which the borrowing occurred. Thankfully, the questioner responded to the request. Question: The NT authors copied elements of Zoroastrianism from the Jews and fit them […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, End Times, General, Q & A .

Question: I have some Bible questions for you that I’ve been trying to figure out from Revelation 13 as it appears those events are now happening.  I’m sure you’re familiar with “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.” from Revelation 13.  […]

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wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: It has been claimed that Jews borrowed Zoroastrian elements regarding the “final savior” during their time in Persia. According to Zoroastrians, an individual, called the “Saoshyant,” will usher in the final era and lead the battle against evil spirit (cf. Zech. 14:3) and all people will remain of one accord in the religion of […]

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wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: According to a Muslim Clergy, the current Pentateuch is not reliable because it has immoral stories about Abraham’s relatives which can’t be from God. Your response? Answer: I am well aware of this charge by Muslims.  My response is that there is no such thing as an immoral story.  There are immoral actions, but […]

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wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Editor’s note: This is a series of two questions and two answers. Question #1: How do we demonstrate to non-Christians the Christian understanding of life after death – that we will either be sent to hell or go to heaven based on whether or not we have accepted God’s gift of eternal life in this […]

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wrote in Creation, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: My school friend told me:    The Big Bang Theory arrived in 1931, but God declared 1,400 years ago by the mouth of an unschooled prophet in Sura 21:30 that “the heavens and the earth were joined together as one mass, then he clove them asunder.” God even said in Sura 51:47 that “he […]

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wrote in General, Q & A, Uncategorized .

Question: In what language did Moses write the Torah? Critics say that he couldn’t have written the Torah because Hebrew didn’t exist at that time.” Answer: A good question.  I believe that all or nearly all conservative scholars will agree that the Pentateuch was originally written down in Hebrew.   Consider the name given to God […]

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wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Is 2 Samuel 7:16 a failed prophecy? “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’””  ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬..I saw a critic claims that this is a failed prophecy, because “houses” and kingdoms do not last forever. Answer: This is in fact a […]

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wrote in General, History, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: The Koran said 1,400 years ago that God warned the Israelites that he would raise against them those who would afflict them till the day of Resurrection. Whatever is happening today in the Middle East, does it not provide evidence of the truth of this statement? How do Christians see this? Answer: If I […]

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wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A .

Question: I have a question about Daniel. I believe that the book of Daniel was create in 6BC, but this is the most problematic passage. Is Daniel 11:40-45 a fail prophecy ? Read this. Verse 40 is generally regarded by the majority of critical scholars to mark the transition from ex eventu prophecy to a […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Are you a believer in Christian Universalism (restoration of ALL) Apocatastasis rather than Unitarian Universalism? I believe the Bible in the original writings support this. You mention in some of your writings you believe in heaven but don’t mention hell. Hell–meaning eternal, conscious torment for all who don’t believe in Christ. To me that […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Questions: There are scriptures that seem to indicate that before we become Christians, it really doesn’t matter how much we sin–whether we sin much or little, we die spiritually, and become lost. For example: – Adam and Eve sinned only once and they died – Paul says in Eph 2:5 that “we were dead in […]

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wrote in Creation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Miracles, Other Religions, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Questions: I am from India, which is the birthplace of Hinduism. I have some questions, Please kindly answer them 1. Hinduism says the incarnation of a human being in various forms occurs until he/she attains (moksha) heaven, Is not it a good idea, that it enables everyone to get into heaven? 2. What does the […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: What would be your response to a JW who uses Proverbs 8 to justify claiming that Jesus as a created being? Answer: First of all, I believe that this is one example of many in which Jehovah Witnesses do eisegesis–which means reading a meaning into the text, rather than from the text.  This is […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, History, Q & A, Uncategorized .

Question: How long were the Israelites in Egypt? 430 or 215 years (Septuagint)? If they were in Egypt for 430 years, how do we reconcile this with Galatians 3:16-18? Answer: It is worth bearing in mind that the Near Eastern way of thinking about lengths of time and numbers in general is not as precise […]

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wrote in General, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Uncategorized .

Question: Tacticus wrote almost nothing about Jesus – just one small passage. Tacitus only said that Christians in Rome believed such a thing. It does not prove that Jesus was crucified. Further, we do not find any mention of Jesus in Seneca’s (4 BCE – 65 CE) writings and the historian Pliny the Elder (23 […]

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wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Can you give me factual references to scriptures/books using which I can use to refute reincarnation theory? I was born in a Hindu family.  However God blessed me and I found my true faith. My entire family is Hindu. I have read Bhagavad Gita and Bible. Both have strongly written verses and theories in […]

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wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: The editors of the Bible were not interested to preserve the history of Minor Prophets except Jonah. If editors mentioned the histories of Elijah and Elisha, then why were the Minor Prophets were left out? Answer: By “the editors” I assume you mean those who put together the historical books of the Bible.  The […]

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wrote in Church History, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Comment: I have been questioning reformed theology for a few years. I have many books with historical evidence to show others why it’s heresy. I am in need of a deluxe Deep Bible study to combat this disease called reformed theology. Historically, I have traced back to Zwingli as one of the main culprits in […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A .

Question:  I have an interesting question. What are your thoughts about the Bible Code?  For example the Ivan Panin story:   Ivan Panin, a Russian mathematician and linguist, noticed complex mathematical structures in the Bible, especially those based on the number 7. He believed that the biblical text contains a hidden, divine numerical code that confirms […]

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wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Adam’s sin was forgiven by God, according to the Koran (2:37), but Christianity says Jesus died for that sin. Does it mean Jesus’ sacrifice is meaningless? Answer: An interesting connection you have made!  And a good question, I would say.  Please understand that my answer is coming from a Christian, not a Muslim perspective.  […]

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wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, General Apologetics, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Questions: 1. I believe there is good evidence for Christianity, but why do so many people not accept it if it’s true? Would a good answer to this question be that Jesus said most people would be condemned? (Matthew 7:13) 2. Does archaeology align well with the Bible? The New Testament is well supported by […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question; I have two questions that are troubling me. It concerns the passage from Deuteronomy 32:8-9. Please, answer if you can.  1. The ‘sons of God’—who are they in this passage? Are they divine beings, or are they Israelites?   2. Some critics say that this passage indicates that God El (the Most High in this […]

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wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Uncategorized .

Question: God created humans and other living beings for nothing else but that they could serve him. He did not desire from them any provision or food. It was revealed to the Prophets to not associate any others with God in his Divinity. Didn’t Paul challenge OT teachings and make a mockery of them by […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: NT writers contradicted the teachings of the Law & Prophets, and they have the nerve to say that they believe in Moses & Prophets. For e.g. NT directly contradicts with Deut. 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:20. If Jesus’ sacrifice was pre-destined, then why did God say this before? Was God double-minded or did the NT […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Uncategorized, Versions of the Bible .

Question/Comment: The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) do not prove the inerrancy or historical accuracy of the Bible. The writings in DSS show a hugely different history than in the Bible. The Genesis Apocryphon is noticeably different from the Bible’s Genesis. Exodus, 1-2 Samuel and Jeremiah are extremely different in the DSS than in the Bible. […]

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wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A, Uncategorized .

Question: I’ve been struggling for a while now to read the Bible itself but very often read commentaries, articles etc. concerning Scripture.  I want to read Scripture itself but feel like I get the information so much ‘quicker’ from books etc.  Any words of advice please? Answer: First of all, you do not need to feel […]

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wrote in General, History, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: Qadianis (Ahmedis) believes that Jesus escaped persecution and went to Kashmir where he lived to old age. What are your thoughts on this? Answer: People believe all kinds of things which are patently untrue, and this is one of them.  There is literally NO evidence that Jesus ever set foot in the subcontinent of […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: What is your take on Saturday being the Christian Sabbath, as taught by some Christian churches? Answer: Two things are true, which is that Saturday (actually, Friday sundown until Saturday sundown) is the Jewish Sabbath. The command for its celebration is found as one of the ten commandments (Deuteronomy 5:12).   It is also true […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: if Jesus is fully God and fully man at the same time right now in 2024 , do you mean for example that Jesus knows and does not know at the same time right now ?  God knows everything but man does not know everything.  If Jesus is fully God and fully human, do […]

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wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: You preach everywhere regarding the means of Jesus’ death, but my Muslim friend said to me: “They are spreading lies which will lead them in Hell.”  That would include you. What should be our response? Answer: Your Muslim friend is claiming that when we Christians teach that Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem, […]

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wrote in General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I am studying the Scriptures. Now, following  your guidance, I am using a biblical dictionary, interlineal Greek-English Bible, and two Bibles (Scofield RV-1960 and Peshitta).  I have a question. What is the difference between grace (xaris) and mercy (eleos)?  I read someone (Danilo Montero, is an evangelist singer) who said: “Grace means to get […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: What is it called when someone believes that God manifested himself in the Father, the Son and the Spirit, but that they are not separate persons? Answer: The most common technical name for this theology is Modalism, or the more technical name, which is Monarchical Modalism.  It is called this because the teaching is […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: In the Gospel of Matthew 11:19, one version says wisdom is justified of her children(KJV) and another version says wisdom is justified by her deeds(ESV). Please explain this variant “children and deeds” Answer: This is a familiar example of a textual variant with a fairly well-understood explanation.  The explanation of the textual variant is found […]

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wrote in General, Practical Christianity, Q & A .

Question: I am a Christian living in Latin America.  Thanks for sharing God’s truth all these years.  I have a question:  Should I biblically visit my dead parents or relatives or am I falling into idolatry, or waste of time?  What could be the best approach to the correct understanding?  Thanks. Answer: This is a […]

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wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: According to the Koran (3:146-148), there were many Prophets who have done Jihad and large numbers of God-devoted men have fought alongside them. They did not surrender to the non-believers merely because of their numerical inferiority and lack of resources.  Can you show me such Prophets in Biblical history who have done Jihad? Please […]

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wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions, Types .

Question: The teachings of the Koran are not a new or strange thing. All former prophets and messengers have also taught the same, that real life is the life of the hereafter and no soul bears the burdens of another soul, and the same has been said in the former books, the books of Abraham […]

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wrote in End Times, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: God promised paradise to those in the Torah and the Gospel who are killed in a holy war, or who kill others in a holy war as stated by the Koran (9:111), but paradise is missing from the OT (including the Torah) and holy wars are missing from the NT (including the Gospels). Have […]

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wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Other Religions, Q & A .

[Editor’s note:  This comes from a Muslim believer who claimed that Muhammad fulfilled the prophecy that one like Moses would come to save God’s people.  I responded by giving him several ways that Jesus fits the description quite well, but asked him to provide “evidence” for the parallels between Moses and Muhammad.  I also explained […]

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wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

[Editor’s note:  This is a two-part question.  The first question needed clarification, which was given, allowing me to give a more nuanced answer to the original] Question: According to Duet. 13:1-3, if a prophet appears among the Israelites and announces a sign and if that sign takes place, and then that prophet orders them to […]

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wrote in Anthropology, Creation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Suggestion and Questions: Last night I took my nen’s Genesis Bible study group on a “field trip” to see “The Ark in the Darkness”. We really enjoyed the movie. It was laden with great supporting technical data and evidence. On our way home though, I raised a couple of questions that remain unanswered, and I […]

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wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Comment: The Messiah depicted by the Hebrew prophets was NOT verified in Jesus. Their Messiah was a warlike conqueror, who should slay and subdue the Gentiles, and deliver Israel from the enemies. Who is right, the prophets or Christian apologists? Response: What can I say?  I believe that you are simply mistaken in your stated […]

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wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: According to Philip R. Davies, a British biblical scholar, prophetic books are primarily the product of scribes who imitated the traditional style of intermediaries and wrote for their own interest. Does it mean our prophetic books are fake? Answer: Philip R. Davies is an unbeliever.  He is not a Christian and it is not […]

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wrote in Apocrypha, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I have been doing a lot of research on Biblical authorship. Recently, I came across an article entitled “A biblical text with ‘new’ facts about Jesus was found — and Christians ignore it.” In this article the authors claimed that Luke wrote a document called “The Dialogue of Jason and Papiscus.” Apparently, it was […]

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