Historical and Messianic Prophecy – Page 6

What about the Bible contradictions or "prophecy" misinterpretations in Matthew 1:22-23, 2:15, 2:23, 8:16-17, 12:18-21, 12:23, 12:40, 16:4, 24:44 and 27:9?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Reliability of the Bible .

Question;: An atheist friend of mine claimed that there a many contradictions or prophetic misinterpretations in Matthew. What is your response. The list is Matthew: 1:22-23, 2:15, 2:23, 8:16-17, 12:18-21, 12:23, 12:40, 16:4, 24:44, 27:9. Answer: These are really rather common and in my opinion fairly shallow criticisms of the Bible. Here are my responses. I […]

What is the significance of Luke's genealogy of Jesus going through Nathan, not Solomon?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I wondered if you could point me in the right direction with regards to the geneology in Luke which mentions Nathan and not Solomon. Forgive my ignorance, but what is the significance in your view? I read it was related to a King Jeconiah. I understood that messianic lineage goes by the father, so Mary’s lineage […]

Is there a prophecy of when and where Jesus was born?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: Is there a prophecy of when and where Jesus was born? Answer; Yes, definitely there is. First of all, Micah 5:1-5 is a prophecy that the Messiah will be from Bethlehem Ephthrah. "But you, Bethlehem, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will […]

What is the significance of the Gabriel Stone? What will be its affect on Christianity?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Can you please explain the Gabriel stone? How will this affect Christianity? Answer: This is a good question. The "Gabriel Stone" has now been around for a while and it is a good time to begin thinking about its significance. I have learned from experience that when a new find comes out it is […]

Are messianic prophecies taken out of context by Christians? What about a claimed mistranslation of Psalms 22:16? What about Matthew 27:9-10 and Jeremiah vs. Zechariah?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: Can you comment on the material about the "historical Jesus" at commonsenseatheism.com? The featured video clips claim that many of the messianic prophesies were taken out of context to apply to Jesus. Can you respond to particularly the claim that Psalm 22:16 is mistranslated particularly the word "pierced"? Also, Matthew 27:9-10, a prophesy from […]

Does Daniel make a historical error in Daniel 11:36-45 with regard to Antiochus Epiphanes as critics claim?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: I have a friend who believes that Daniel 11 gets Antiochus’ death incorrect. Is this true? I tend to believe he is wrong however I don’t know the history all that well. Here is what he gave me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_11 The second paragraph speaks about details of his death and how they do no match up with what […]

What do the four parts of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream represent?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: Daniel chapter two talks about the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. I understand the statue as the timeline of the world empires and through the establishment of Gods Kingdom. What empires did those parts of the statue represent, and what was the historical time frame of those empires? Answer; The four kingdoms prophesied by the […]

Questions: Does Daniel prophesy the future? Meaning of 1 Cor 11? What about Calvinism? What about falling away?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Note; Each of four questions is followed by an answer, so there are four separate Q & As below. Question #1: I noticed on your power point concerning prophesy that when talking about Daniel’s vision of four beasts you referred to ancient kingdoms I thought this vision referred to the end times or does it have a […]

Don't the prophecies of Jesus contradict? (some will not taste death, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel and …the gospel…preached to all nations… before Son of Man comes)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Matthew 16:28) I thought that Jesus might be referring to his ascension here, but it didn’t seem to make sense in the context of the passage. Jesus […]

How do you see the fulfillment of the prophecies of Nebuchadnezzar conquering Egypt and the Nile drying up? If the Bible's prophecies are not reliable, then is that not like the Koran or rhe Book of Mormon?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: (a very long one!!!) The books of the Bible are written by people claiming inspiration from God. Many people claim inspiration from God or supernatural forces. Muslims claim the Koran is divinely inspired, Mormons claim their Book of Mormon is divinely inspired, and I am sure many pagan sects say that their "book of […]

What is the meaning of Matthew 11:10? (a prophecy of Elijah)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: What is the meaning of Matthew 11:10? "This is the one about whom it is written: I will send my messendger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you go." Answer: In this passage, Jesus is telling his followers that John the Baptist is the promised "Elijah, who is to come." The […]

Is Jesus an acceptable sacrifice according to the Old Testament (an advanced quest. about biblical types)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Theology and Doctrinal Questions, Types .

Question: Is Jesus really an acceptable sin sacrifice according to the Old Testament? The new covenant couldn’t have been active till after Jesus’ death and resurrection, right? So it would make sense to say the initiation of the new covenant shouldn’t violate the standards of the old. Does Jesus REALLY count as a sin sacrifice? […]

Are there any examples of failed Prophecies in the Bible or scientific contradictions in the Bible as claimed by some books?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Science and the Bible .

Question: Are there any examples of failed Prophecies in the Bible and scientific contradictions in the bible as claimed by some books? Answer: No, there are not. Of course, there are people who say that there are, and I have heard such claims. For example, in a debate held last June in Chicago, the claim […]

Were the prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament altered by followers of Jesus to suit their needs?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Were the original prophecies of the Messiah altered? Jews state that Jesus did not fulfill all of the prophecies realting to the Messiah. They also claim that the followers of Jesus in the early ages sincerely believed he was the Messiah, and altered the Old Testament to suit their needs. Answer: It is true […]

Are there any specific prophecies that have been fulfilled? Many skeptics claim that prophecies are too broad to be reliable.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: Are there any specific prophecies that have been fulfilled? Many skeptics claim that prophecies are too broad to be reliable. Answer: The answere is a resounding yes. You will find a wealth of information on this topic in three of the books I have published. The three are Reasons for Belief, Daniel, Prophet to […]

What evidence do we have that the book of Daniel was written in the 600s BC, and what evidence is used for a later date of composition, after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: What proofs are used to show the book of Daniel was written in the 600s and what evidence is used to prove a later composition, around the time of Antiochus Epi arephanes? Answer: There is no evidence to support the idea that Daniel was written in the 600s, as Daniel died in about 535 BC. […]

Is the situation in Israel today a fulfillment of a biblical prophecy? Should we as Christians have concern for the Israeli people?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: Is the situation in Irael just now, prophecy being fulfilled? Should we as Christians be concerned for the Israeli people? Answer: The quick answer is a definite no. I discuss in some detail the premillenialist view and the tendency to view modern events as fulfillment of prophecies in Revelation, Daniel or Ezekiel in an appendix […]

How are you so confident that hostages were taken by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC (Daniel 1:1) when no other source mentions this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: How, John, can you state so confidently that hostages were taken and that some items from the temple were taken." This clearly is what you would like to be able to establish in order to be able to clear up the conflict between 2 Kings 24:1 and Daniel 1:1. The author of Daniel transfers things that […]

The Gabriel Inscription: How should I think about it?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: I am currently reading your book on "Reasons for Belief" and I am learning so much new information that has been very faith lifting. I have recently come across a video on CNN about a certain tablet that looked similar to the one you talked about in your book. The reporters are calling it the […]

Is the biblical account of Solomon's life accurate historically? (and many more like that)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: 1. I was looking a little at a book called "A History of the Jews" by Abram Leon Sachar. He seems to suggest that the Bible’s account of Solomon is incorrect, exaggerated, and biased. He says his genius was never of a moral or spiritual quality, but the Bible says otherwise. He also says […]

Why did Jesus get baptized by John if he had no sin?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question:,Why did Jesus get baptized by John if he had no sin?,Answer:,This is a very good question. Jesus actually answered the question for us, although his answer is a bit enigmatic. To quote Matthew 3:15, “Let it be so now,it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Of course the question […]

How has Isaiah 11:12 been fulfilled by Jesus? Jews consider this to be a passage about the Moshiach. They specifically say that Jesus did not fulfill this therefore he cannot be the Moshiach. They think that all Jews will return to Israel. How is that passage to be interpreted?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: How has Isaiah 11:12 been fulfilled by Jesus? Jews consider this to be a passage about the Moshiach. They specifically say that Jesus did not fulfill this therefore he cannot be the Moshiach. They think that all Jews will return to Israel. How is that passage to be interpreted?Answer: Your Jewish friends are right. […]

Can you explain Daniel 9:27 and the ceasing of sacrifice and offerings. Does this not refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD? If so, doesn't this go beyond the 490 years to fulfill the prophecy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: I read the explanation of Daniel chapter 9 prophecy in your book “From Shadow to Reality”. You were really quite explicit on that. What I am unable to understand is verse no 27 which predicts the putting to an end of sacrifice and offering. I think the prophecy refers to the crucifixion which took […]

How do you reconcile Matthew 16:27 and 16:28? What is the time frame for the fulfillment of this prophecy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question:,One of my sons asked me a Bible question tonight and after doing a little study I am still baffled, so I wondered if you had any insight into it. The question is: how do we reconcile Matthew 16:27 and Matthew 16:28? I read your response to a questioner who asked about Matthew 16:28 and […]

What is the evidence that the kingdom Chist promised his appostles that "Most of you will not taste death until they see it come?" Or are the apostles still alive? Did the Kingdom exist before they died?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question:,What is the evidence that the kingdom Chist promised his appostles that “Most of you will not taste death until they see it come?” Or are the apostles still alive? Did the Kingdom exist before they died?,Answer:,The kingdom of God came with power within the lifetime of almost all the apostles. This prophecy of Jesus […]

How can I prove to my Jewish friends that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows .

Question: I have many Jewish friends. How can I prove that Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah? Answer: Good question! Let me make a couple of suggestions: 1. Purchase a book on Judaism and its relationship to Christianity. My favorite is “You Bring the Bagels, I’ll Bring the Gospel” by Barry Rubin. […]

Ezekiel 26:14 says that Tyre will never be rebuilt but it is there to this day and HAS been rebuilt. Can you explain this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Ezekiel 26;14 says that Tyre will never be rebuilt but it is there to this day and HAS been rebuilt. Can you explain this? Answer: Yes, but not on the original site. The original site is still basically a bare rock, even today. It has been excavated. The rock Tyre stood on lies just […]

How do you know Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Maybe the Gospel writers fit the details to match the prophetic passages.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible .

Comments: What is interesting about the Gospel writers is the way in which they fit the details of the story to match the “prophetic” passages which are pre-existent to the story and are already selected as “must be” parts of the story. How for example do you know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? The […]

We know that the Essenes interpreted messianic ideas in the Old Testament allegorically–wresting passages from their context. Isn't that exactly what the gospel writers did to make Jesus appear to be the Messiah?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible .

Comment: One of the benefits of reading Essene interpretations of Scripture written 100/200 years before the Gospels, is that it enables one to see how religious Jews of the period would happily wrest any passage of Scripture from its clear ancient context and apply it allegorically either to the present or the future. The evangelists […]

Do you have an outline of the Passover meal and the coorelations between it and Jesus' life

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Types .

Question: My husband and I are planning a Passover meal for our Bible group. Do you have an outline of the Passover meal and the coorelations between it and Jesus’ life? Answer: I have a friend who is an expert on this. He is Phillip Lester. His e-mail is PPLester@aol.com. He did a Passover seder […]

Jeremiah 43 prophecies that Egypt would be conquered by Babylon. Secular historians said that Egypt was conquered by the Persians. Can you explain this discrepancy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: According to Jer 43 Egypt would be conquered by Babylon, but secularhistorians attribute this conquest to the Persians. Do you have any infoon this? Answer: Your information is correct. The Persians/Medes did conquer Egypt under Cambysses, the son of Cyrus in 525 BC. However, the Persians were not the first to conquer Egypt. The […]

How can you explain Romans 11:26 and Matthew 2:23 are prophecies? In one case, it is not a correct quote from the Old Testament. In the other case, there is no prophecy in the Old Testament about a Nazarene.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Ever since last year, I’ve been sharing with a Jewish friend I have. He told me about this small book he read about why you can’t trust the Christian Bible and why not to believe in Jesus. The thing that made me think the most is when this little book talked about how scriptures […]

What is the significance of the angel that appears to Daniel in chapter 10 telling him that he was summoned 21 days ago but was held up by ?the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia??

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: What is the significance of the angel that appears to Daniel in chapter 10 telling him that he was summoned 21 days ago but was held up by “the Prince of the Kingdomof Persia”? I believe every scripture is there for a reason and God does not bother with insignificant issues, so what is […]

Why did God choose to deliver His only begotten through a virgin when He has the ability to use another way, for example turn a rock into Jesus Christ?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Why did God choose to deliver His only begotten through a virgin when He has the ability to use another way, for example turn a rock into Jesus Christ? Answer: It is always tricky to answer “why” questions about God when he has not answered the question for himself. This requires an educated guess […]

Isn't Isaiah 9:7 a prophecy of a specific king of the Jews, and not a messianic prophech?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: About Isaiah 9:7. This is clearly about a real king who would answer all the Jews’ longings for God to deliver them independance and prosperity. It is not a messianic prophecy as you claim in your book From Shadow to Reality. This is perfectly clear from the context. To make it a “prophecy” of […]

How do you know Psalm 16:10-11 is messianic, since David seems to be talking about himself?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Quoting from page 238 of your book From Shadow to Reality, Psalm 16: 10-11. How can you possibly use this as a “prophecy” of anything? The Psalmist is speaking personally. What principle of hermeneutics authorizes the injection of additional significance? Answer: I do so for at least four reasons. First, there are several examples […]

Can "pierced" in Psalm 22:16 be translated as lion, and doesn't this prove this is not a messianic prophecy? Why is this verse so important to believers?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: I have done some studying on Psalm 22, with its supposed prophecy about the Messiah having his hands and feet pierced. I did some more work on this at www.christian-thinktank.com/ps22cheat.html I am happy to accept “pierced” as a possible translation, but think it is questionable as one of the authorities says, “we do not […]

What to you say to the claim of a Muslim friend that Deuteronomy 18:15-19 is about Muhammad, not Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions .

Question: A Muslim friend made an outrageous claim to me that in Deuteronomy 18: 15-19 it is speaking of Muhammed and not Jesus. One hole in this claim is that Muhammad was an Arab, not a Jew. (Genesis 22:18). He would be of the house of David (Jeremiah 21:5). What do you think of this? […]

Can the two witnesses in Revelation 11 be symbolized by the two olive trees in Zechariah 4? Why do you think Revelation 4 is about Joshua and Zerubbabel? Could the two witnesses be Elijan and Enoch?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: My question is on your interpretation on the two olive trees on pg 102 of you book “From Shadow to Reality.” You said ” The two who are anointed are a reference to the high priest Joshua and the governor Zerubabbel, both of whom were foreshadows of the anointed one: the Messiah”. I was […]

Who added Mark 16:9-20 to the Bible? Did the NT writers make up the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey so they could claim he is the Messiah? (etc.)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Philosophy .

Questions (there are several here): Let us take the final 11 verses of Mark for which the earliest evidence is non-existent. Why and by whom were they later added? Why was Jesus described as riding on a donkey? Because the writer knew it would be seen as the fulfilment of OT prophecy and would therefore […]

Did Domitian help to subdue Galba, Otho and Vitellius, or was it just Vitellius? Do you have historical sources you can mention?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: In your section on the 10 horns-the 11th being Domitian, what historical sources can you site that show that Vespesian and/or Domitian subdued Otho and Galba? I have only been able to find sources for Vitellius’s overthrow by armed forces who supported Vespesian. Could the three who were subdued actually be ordinal… For example, […]

What is the historical fulfillment of the eleventh emperor in Daniel 7:24 subduing three earlier emperors?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

I am currently reading the book of Daniel and I know that you have a lot of knowledge about this book. However, I cannot make the connection from Daniel 7:24 to anywhere else in historical times. It reads: “The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will […]

Was Jesus descenced from Judah through his mother or through his father?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

I really enjoyed the book From Shadow to Reality. It gave me a more global perspective for the whole Bible and tied up some loose ends for me. I did have a question though about something you wrote. At one point, you wrote that Jesus fulfills the prophecy of coming from the lineage of Judah […]

What do the words "Today I have begotten you" in Psalms 2:7 mean, assuming this is about Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

I understand that Psalm 2:7 is talking about Jesus but what do the words “Today I have begotten you” mean? Is he referring to physical birth? If not what is it talking about? I would say that the most obvious place to look for an answer is in John 1:14. “We have seen his glory, […]

Was Revelation written before or after AD 70? How does this relate to whether most of this book has already been fulfilled?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Someone told me that most scholars say that Revelation was written after AD 70. Where can I find what scholars say regarding the date of Revelations? If it’s after AD 70, is it possible that most of Revelation has not happened, which is this individual’s view? From what I understand it was written more so […]

Please give me all the information you can on Daniel the prophet in the Old Testament. I would like to write an essay on him.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Please give me all the information you can on Daniel the prophet in the Old Testament. I would like to write an essay on him. I have published a book on Daniel, so I certainly do have a lot of material on him. You can purchase a copy of the book at www.ipibooks.com . I […]

Do you have examples of non-messianic prophecies which definitely written before they were filfilled?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Are you able to provide a summary of non-messianic prophecies for which there is written evidence of them being proclaimed before being fulfilled? This would restrict prophecy to the Old Testament, as the earliest ‘significant’ copies we have of the New Testament are dated in the 4th century AD, well after most (if not all) […]

In Daniel 2:44, when he says "setup a kingdom" does it mean the one in heaven or the church?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

In Daniel 2:44, when he says “setup a kingdom” does it mean the one in heaven or the church? to me it seems heavenly. Also can you let me know some scriptures where it says “kingdom…” which refer to the heavenly kingdom and some which refer to the church (OT & NT).If you cant answer […]

What does it mean (Dan 2:44) that the kingdom of God will "crush" the other kingdoms?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

In Daniel 2:44 it says that: “…it will crush and put an end to all those kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” In what way will the kingdom “crush” the other kingdoms? Is he talking about when Christ returns and destroys the physical realm which include the earthly kingdoms or is he talking about […]

Was the second coming of Jesus prophesied in the OT, and how long was Jesus in Egypt?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

*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 […]