Question: Is it fair to say that a substantial portion of James’ letter is a rebuke of Paul and his followers? As you know, Acts 15 describes a significant break between James’ leadership (likely including Peter, John, Mark, and Barnabas) and Paul’s doctrinal and dogmatic leadership as background for the letter; James 2:14-25 seems to […]
Question: Revelation 20 states that Satan will be defeated and locked up for 1000 years and then released for a short time. Did the 1000 years already happen or are we still waiting for it? Answer: I have taught a class on Revelation in which I address the question of the 1000 years in some […]
Question: I have a question for you that sparked while going through one of the lessons in the ARS Apologetics Certificate Program. In terms of suffering – I understand most of the arguments/material in terms of our sin, humans causing suffering, humans choosing to suffer, Joy existing because of suffering, etc; however, there is one thing […]
Question: Hey Dr. Oakes, I’ve got a friend that is trying to communicate with me about Oneness Theology as opposed to the doctrine of the Trinity. Even as he was attempting to explain it to me, I am having a difficult time understanding the differences. What is the difference between the two? What do you […]
Question: How do you counter something like this? – http://allpowertothelamb.com/2016/04/reconciling-isaiah/#comment-16126 Answer: First of all, let me quote the passage discussed at this web site, Isaiah 65:20. I am using the NIV, rather than the KJV which is an archaic translation (although the meaning is almost identical). “Never again will there be in it [presumably the […]
Question: I have several questions I hope you may help with: -Does Jesus not fall under the Curse of Jeconiah in Jer. 22:30, 36:30 in which none of Jeconiah’s descendants (Matt.1:11 states Jesus is a descendant) shall sit on the throne of David nor rule in Judah? -Did Paul violate Deuteronomy 23:16 and Jer. 34:13-17 when […]
Question: I’m a bit confused about what this scripture means by saying that “women will be saved through childbearing” does this assume that women who haven’t had children aren’t saved? I know that can’t be right I just can’t think of another interpretation. “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and […]
Question: If someone is born a hermaphrodite (with both sex organs) is it possible to still live a life pleasing to God regarding sexual orientation? For example whether they choose to be with a man or women technically they’d be hetero and homosexual. I have a hard time trying to word this but I hope […]
Question: How would you build up an apologetic defense against a Unitarian argument about John 20:17? In John 20:17 Jesus is speaking to Mary Magdalene: Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My […]
Questions: I was confronted with these questions. Did Paul teach that the law was over by Jesus’ sacrifice? Also, when will the ten tribes come back to Israel? Answers: Not sure if I would say it exactly that way: “the Law was over by Jesus’ sacrifice.” What Paul did say is, “When you were dead […]
Question: These are the questions I have in mind. They stem from a discussion I had with a friend of mine who likes Christianity (especially Bart Ehrman and the Gnostic Gospels) [editor’s note: we are not sure what the questioner means by this comment] but rejects the idea that Jesus was resurrected because: a […]
Question: Is it possible that 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and Revelation 20:7-10 describe the same event? Answer: I am afraid that I cannot give you a definitive answer. I will have to say that I cannot blame people who see some potential parallels between the “lawless one” of 2 Thess 2:8 and the deception of Gog […]
Question: Where does the gnostic belief that the Old Testament God is the Demiurge and not the true creator come from? Also, where did the belief in archons tricking people into being reincarnated at death come from? I’ve been reading some material about this and it has troubled me. What is the evidence against these […]
Question: There is a substantial amount of extra-biblical material written by historians that lived within a couple generations of Christ’s ministry supporting His existence, His status as a well-known miracle worker, and His crucifixion (Josephus, Tacitus, Seutonius, Pliny the Younger, Philo, as well as mention in much later editions to the Talmud). However, there is […]
Question: Is there proof outside the Bible of Christ’s Transfiguration? Answer: The transfiguration occurred on a remote mountaintop and there were only four witnesses. It is hard to imagine what kind of proof one could ask for except the statements of the eye-witnesses. What kind of “proof” are you asking for? Are you asking for […]
Question: I wanted to ask you about Matthew 15:3-6. What does Jesus mean when he told the Pharasees in verse 5 that “whatever help you might otherwise receive from me is a gift devoted to God”? Answer: This is a reference to a common Jewish practice of giving a sacrifice (actually, more accurately a gift) […]
Question: What is the meaning of the phrase “going to sleep” that is used many times in the New Testament. Also, what happens when we die? Answer: This was a common euphamism for saying that someone died in their culture. We also use euphemisms for talking about death. We say someone “passed away.” Or we say that […]
Question: Can you compare the concept of forgiveness and cleansing of sins in Christianity, Hinduism and Islam? Answer: This is a very important question. The concenpt of sin and of forgiveness is quite different in the three religions. Islam and Christianity are closer to one another, but still different in very important ways. Hinduism is […]
Question: I am happy to find your resourceful website and I hope you can help solve my puzzle. Why did the book of Daniel get all the history wrong from verse 11:35 to the end? I tried to find answers in your power point but you list the historical facts just up to 11:35. This […]
Question: Why didn’t God send Jesus at the beginning to show love if He already knew the people that live in the world would be so evil…? If He knew that Jesus’s teaching of love will make people become better today…why did he make the Torah rules to Moses…which is so cruel (killing a woman […]
Question: Similar to you, I find preterism [editor’s note: this is the view that the majority of the visions in Revelation involve things which happened in the early period of Christianity] as the best interpretation of Revelation. However, I struggle with interpreting the events (especially the plagues). I also do not know what to do […]
Question: How do you explain the similarities between the Egyptian god Horus and Jesus. Horus suffered the same tribulations. It could be said that the jesus story was plagiarized. Answer: Apparently you have been reading the claim that the Christian Jesus is a myth, borrowed from various Greek, Egyptian or Persian gods. This well-worn claim […]
Question: I thank you for taking your time out of the day to answer questions that I have. I am learning about Islam and while researching I came across an article about the prophesying of Muhammad in the New Testament. This was just one of the examples presented: John 14:16 “And I will pray the […]
Question: I am intrigued by your take on early Christianity and how you believe the Catholic Church can trace its history back to the 1st century AD, yet don’t believe it’s the one true church. If the RCC was founded in the first century AD and was originally the one true church, but then went […]
Question: Recently I saw the documentary by National Geographic narrated by Morgan Freeman called the Story of God,where he says the God worshipped by the Christians and the Muslims is the same. I know this is not true.Can you explain briefly the major differences? Answer: It is debatable whether Muslims worship the same God as […]
[Editor’s Note: I posted an article in response to a question about the philosophy/theology known as pandeism. A blogger posted a critique of my article, and this is a rebuttal by me. The critique is fairly long, and my response is below that.] Comment: From time to time, people do come along and write things […]
[editor’s note: The person sending this comment included a document claiming that the NIV (and presumably nearly all other translations) have omitted major portions of the New Testament, including John 5:4, Acts 8:37, Acts 15:34, Matthew 17:21, Matthew 23:14, Acts 24:7 and several others.] Comment: As I dug deeper into your site I had to […]
Question: I wanted to ask you a question about the cause of disabilities as it relates to Exodus 4:11 and John 9:3 (about Jesus healing the man born blind). Some translations render the text in John as “this happened so that the works of God may be displayed”, implying that God caused his illness from […]
Question: If God is just and gives everyone what they deserve according to their actions, then why does he accept a substitute sacrifice on our behalf–whether it be the millions of animal sacrifices in the OT or even Christ himself? Perhaps you will just say it is God’s mercy, but I would appreciate some elucidation. […]
Question: It has come to my attention that some people are using the name “Yeshua” in place of the name “Jesus”. They want to go as far as saying that the use of Jesus’s name is some kind of sin, that it is some kind of pagan mistranslation and that our Lord won’t hear your […]
Question: Could you answer a couple questions about Zechariah? Is chapter 2:8-9 referring to Jesus’ sacrifice for all sin? Also, is chapter 6:11-13 referring to Joshua as a Jesus-figure? After all, isn’t Jesus’ real name in Hebrew Yeshua, which is a variant of Joshua? Is it a coincidence that it says his “name” is the […]
Question: I was just wondering if Josephus ever mentioned the Apostle Paul in any of his writings? Thanks! Answer: Josephus does not mention Paul in any of the writings we have from him. Some have tried to use the lack if his mention of Paul to create doubt about the reliability of the New Testament–even going so […]
Question: A coworker of mine questions the validity of God’s approach in leaving us a book and taking off and expecting us to be able to relate as God’s children and kind of figure this whole thing out until God returns and then makes us a part of His life? If we did this as […]
[Editor’s note: This is a series of three related questions about the teachings of the very early church leaders, including on baptismal regeneration. Question: How much weight should be given to the early church fathers’ theological positions? Answer: The simple answer is that their theological position should be given zero weight. When Irenaeus or Polycarp […]
Editor’s note: This is actually a series of questions and answers. Question: I came across this statement in Sura III in the Quran, but I cannot find the exact scripture. “Jesus was of virgin birth, And performed many miracles. But those to whom he came as Prophet rejected him, and plotted his death. Their plots […]
Question: I live in India where 80% are Hindus and believe in reincarnation. I don’t believe in it but yesterday I checked out a website that has testimonies regarding Near to Death experiences. Some of them have seen Jesus after their death and he told them either to go back or reincarnate to a new […]
Question: I have a question on an article pertaining to homosexuality. I was wondering if you could take a look at this article I had to read for a class. I would love to know your thoughts on it as it is an argument I have never heard before and would love to be informed […]
Question: I would appreciate clarification from you on how John 20:23 gives authority for Christians to forgive sins. At first glance, it would appear to contravene the teaching in the rest of the Bible that only God can forgive sins. John 20:23 – If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do […]
Question: I have a question about reports in recent years (in technical, and in consumer oriented publications) of proteins, hemoglobin, collagen and various soft-tissue samples being found in various dinosaur fossils. Are these kinds of compounds able to survive for millions of years within a fossil? Seems counter-intuitive…. I have long been satisfied the earth […]
Question: Did Saul /Paul ever kill anyone when he was in pursuit of Christians or did he just have them jailed before his conversion? Answer: To be honest, I am not sure why it would matter whether he did or did not actually kill any individuals. What I can say for sure is that he […]
[Editor’s note: An “Arminian” is one who accepts the proposal of Jacob Arminius who taught free will in the face of the accepted double predestination of John Calvin and most Protestants in the 16th century. Calvinism has all humans predestined by God–some pre-selected by God for salvation and others predestined for hell.] Question: A verse […]
Question: Jesus is the pillar of Christian faith, I want to know, what are some evidences that show that he existed and not just fabricated? Answer: It has been argued that hardly anyone in the ancient world is more well attested to than Jesus of Nazareth. Within one hundred years of his life, at least […]
Question: Sir, in Matthew 2:23 its written that Joseph was told in a dream to go to Galilee and live in the town of Nazareth just as the prophets said that He will be called a Nazarene. I have heard that this is clear evidence of an error in the New Testament. Can you give […]
Question: How do you convince someone that gambling and casino games are not part of a christian life?…Even if it is done occasionally. Any bible verses that is related to this? Answer: The Bible does not ever put gambling in a list of sins. I believe that allowing yourself to become addicted to gambling […]
Question: I have been reading a lot on Lord’s supper lately and I’m having a hard time understanding this passage: 1 Corinthians 11: 28-30 “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink […]
Question: My question would refer to the harmonization of theme and chronology. I’ve seen that modern liberal scholarship takes aim at disproving the reliance of the gospels by picking these things apart. My teacher will make points about the same stories being at different times in different gospels with different details (albeit small details). He […]
Question: I have a question for you! I have thoroughly studied out baptism and the significance of the saving act for a believer. I also have examined every article on baptism on your website. I was at a recent baptism of a friend. I posted a picture on social media, saying we baptized my friend […]
Question: My teacher just told us that the verse in Luke where Jesus sweats blood was not in the original text and is a textual issue. Have you heard this argument before? Answer: It is true that Luke 22:43-44 is not included in the majority of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts of Luke. This […]
Question: Why is the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of John and at the end of the Synoptics? What were John’s motivations for placing it earlier? Also: How do you harmonize the different gospel accounts amidst editing and audience? I’m taking a class that is picking the gospels apart and I would like […]
Question: I wanted to see if you could please help me with Acts 2:21 “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I am studying with a friend who believes in Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31 and Acts 2:21 to be saved. It is my understanding that in the first century […]
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