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 […]
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 […]
Question: In Jeremiah 45, God says that Egypt will fall and most all the remnant of Judah will be destroyed. How does this work historically? I don’t see where Babylon invaded Egypt at this time in history. Am I incorrect? Thanks for clarifying. Answer: I assume you mean Jeremiah 46. In this prophecy we are […]
Question: What do you think of the Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri? Apparently he was Israel’s leading religious teacher up until 2006 when he died at 108 years. Supposedly during the latter years of his life he focused very intently on the teaching of the coming of the Messiah and how to recognize him. He wrote a […]
Question: I know we have many prophecies of Christ in the OT, but I did not find one that says ‘He will rise from the dead’. Is there any verse that explicitly states this? Or is it as He said to the doubting people the only evidence He will give them is the sign of […]
Question: Who is Melchizedek in the Bible? Is he Shem the son of Noah? I there any evidence about his geneology? Answer: Melchizedek is a somewhat enigmatic figure in the Bible. He only appears in Genesis, Psalms and Hebrews. He was a worshipper of Jehovah, but was not from Abraham’s family and, therefore, by […]
Question: Jews always criticize the Christian explanation of Daniel 9… https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ Can you prove that Daniel really spoke about Jesus in Daniel 9? Answer: I cannot “prove” that Daniel is talking about Jesus in Daniel 9. Such things do not allow for mathematical-type proofs. However, I can show sufficient evidence that any open-minded person would […]
Question: What is the meaning of the altar mentioned in (Hebrew 13 : 10)? Catholic and Orthodox Churches use this verse to prove that there is an altar in the New Testament–justifying their use of an altar in their worship, and the idea that the Eucharist is a sacrifice. In Arabic translations, the word altar […]
Question: How do we know the Bible, a collection of books and letters written of centuries, is the word of a deity? Answer: Given the amazing evidence for the inspiration of the Bible, the fact that it is a collection of writings written over many centuries makes it even more impressive. The Bible contains the […]
[Editor’s note: This question is coming from a person responding to Muslim claims that Jesus never claimed to be God] Question: I’d like to ask you 2 questions. 1 What’s your comment on the New World Translation of Zechariah 12:10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem […]
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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: A friend of mine who left my church told me that she considers herself a postmodernist, which is why she left. I did some research and got to understand it a bit better. I also watched your video. I was wondering what I can say or ask that can help my friend reconsider this philosophical […]
Question: The OT describes the prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah. The doubt I have comes from the question, did God the Father command Israel to worship this Messiah? Or on the other hand, did he only predict the coming of a great prophet who will teach Israel his way (like the old prophets […]
Question: God is, in principle, against human sacrifice: the religious ritual killing of innocents to appease God, or any gods, for that matter. So it would be likewise true that God is, in principle, against anyone’s ever *thinking* that God is ever in favor of such sacrifice. So, if God caused Abraham to think that […]
Comment: I’ve been reading your book “Daniel: A Prophet to the Nations” and I’ve been very inspired and overwhelmed by the very specific prophecies. I’m thankful for how God is using you to reveal his word to others. So suffice it to say, while I have a problem with your response to Daniel 11:36-45 my […]
Question: I’ve been studying out prophecies of the Old Testament and in studying out the prophecies of Isaiah I looked up what Wikipedia had to say about it. According to Wikipedia “The exact relationship between the Book of Isaiah and any such historical Isaiah is complicated. One widespread view sees parts of the first half […]
[Editor’s Note: I recently answered a question about R. G. Price but, not knowing his middle name, thought the question was about a different critic of Christianity named Robert Price. Interestingly, the positions of the Robert Price and of R. G. Price are actually fairly similar. Nevertheless, I am a bit embarrassed and apologize […]
Question: Is it possible that your standard Jewish citizen of Roman Judea would have had foreknowledge of the Old Testament Prophecies and planned to have fulfilled them with an intent. Would Jesus have done such a thing to manipulate the prophecies purposely in order to convince his followers and enemies that he was indeed the […]
Question: What proof is there that the Bible is true? Answer: To tell you the truth, this is a rather broad question. My first answer is please just start looking around the web site. We have more than 2500 articles, each of which is intended to answer your question! But you asked, so […]
Question: I read in a question at the web site concerning the prophecies of Daniel 11 in which you said that the Kingdom of the North which were the Seleucids become later identified as the Romans. Why is it that this change seems random as if to accommodate for the fact that Antiochus IV did […]
Editor’s note: This is a series of about ten questions. For ease of following the arguments, I will intersperse my answers between the questions. Question: I stumbled upon a website known as “RationalWiki” which lists supposed unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible which deeply trouble me in my understanding of the Bible. The most difficult of […]
Question: I am writing to ask you a quick question: a Christian friend of mine shared his conviction that Daniel was not truly written by Daniel, but was written some time in the second century BC. I would like to know what are the arguments for and against this view, and the same for the […]
Question: I want to ask whether circumcision is a prefigure of baptism? A passage from the Bible, 1 Peter 3:20-21, seemingly says that the prefigure of baptism were the events in the days of Noah. On the other hand, Colossians 2:11-14 implies that circumcision was a prefigure of baptism. Can it be considered a prefigure […]
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 […]
Question: How do you know for sure that the Bible and Jesus is really the truth of God? – I was a Christian for a long time , not just religious. I thought I was a born again and experienced things but nowadays some things (Objective info from psychology, learning about suffering, etc.) brought doubts […]
Editor’s note: The comment below comes from a Muslim who does not believe in Jesus. Comment: Acts 4:25 to 27 and psalm 2. God was angry with them because they plotted against his messiah. This means God did not want them to plot against his messiah. This means God did not send his messiah to […]
Question: Hello Dr. Oakes, I am studying the bible with a friend of mine that is Hindu. He is not very devout in his faith (he grew up in America most of his life and has never really grown into his beliefs). He was introduced to Jesus about a year and a half ago as […]
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: Does the account of the Last Supper as a Passover meal indicate biblical errors and historical unreliability? 1. Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, and Luke 22:7-38 call the Last Supper a Passover Meal as described in Deuteronomy 16:5-6, occurring on Thursday Nisan 14, and that Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday.2. John 13:1 […]
Question: Does god play dice? Quantum events are random. So how can God know who is going to heaven? The Bible mentions that those who are saved have been written in the book of life before creation. You also mention the universe has a sort of free will so how does God know about events […]
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: 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 […]
QUESTION: 1. What is a good resource for learning more about Calvinism and how to refute it. 2. How do you best defend the Word of God with someone who says “the Bible is not perfect.” We obviously know of a few clerical errors but he uses those mistakes and others to justify his own […]
Question: Hello Dr. Oakes. I recently have had the desire to study out the biblical support for Jesus being the Messiah and why the Jews don’t consider him to be the Messiah. I listened to a podcast by a Jewish Rabbi on the Trinity. He talks about a few things: he referenced John 10 saying […]
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: 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: My brother-in-law is an atheist and mathematician. He has a couple of master’s degrees in “pure math.” He also has completed all his doctoral classes in this area. He challenged me to send him a few of the most compelling prophecies and he would research them. He is contends with great assurance that God […]
[Note: this query comes from a believer who got these questions from a friend who is Bahai. Question: One of my questions was WHY had not God in the Old Testament chosen for himself, the name Jesus the Christ, but many other names ? In addition, Christ Himself also promises that when he returns, he […]
Question: I am deeply grateful for your research and teaching for brothers and sisters in the faith. Your web-site and publications have been so helpful, insightful and informative. I have been a Christian for over 21 years now, and your works, and those of other teachers, have proven helpful as tools to help deepen my […]
Question: I read your article on how to help convert our Jewish friends, the problem is that yes, “our version” the Old Testament mentions things about Jesus, but when you bring that up, they show you in “their version” that is in Hebrew it is different. Where ours says a virgin will give birth…but in their […]
Question: I have read some of your articles. I do not see how Jesus meets the criteria given for Messiah in the Tanakh… SITUATION OF HIS BIRTH Christians say he had no biological father. Therefore he had no lineage through Joseph to forebears. Christians then claim that he was ‘adopted’ or that the lineage was through […]
Question: Thank you so much for writing “From Shadow to Reality.” It has strengthened my faith by seeing how only God could have orchestrated the foreshadowing in the Old Testament. I have learned a lot, and have had theories of my own on foreshadowing confirmed by your explanation of the related Scriptures. One issue […]
Question: Since you believe Jesus fulfilled Zech.6:11-13, do you also believe the body of Christ is the Temple? Answer: I believe that Zechariah 6:11-13 is really more of a messianic foreshadow than a historical messianic prophecy. In other words, it is a picture, in earthly terms of an equivalent future reality in heaven. The vision […]
Questions: I was listening to a Rabbi debate with a Christian and wanted to ask you about some of the points that the Rabbi made that the Christian didn’t respond to, if i may. 1. Christians had to “make up” the second coming of the Messiah to harmonize why Jesus did not restore peace in […]
QUESTION: I have a question regarding the Messiah and his purpose. It seems to me that the Bible is clear that the Hebrews are never to worship any thing or anyone but God Himself and that He is ‘One’ and that there is no other besides Him. When did He change His mind and tell […]
