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If the Devil is used symbolically in the Bible as an evil force within mankind, why was there a need to eliminate it from heaven where there is no evil? (Rev 12:7-9)

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Revelation is a book of symbols. Whenever we read Revelation we should be asking ourselves, “what do these symbols mean?” We should be cautious of assuming that some has the same meaning in Revelation as it might elsewhere. Elsewhere in the Bible, “heaven” often refers to the places where God dwells. In Revelation, it might […]

Did God really ‘hate’ Esau, and if so why? (Romans 9:13)

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There are things that God hates, as well as things that God loves (Deuteronomy 12:31; 16:22; Psalm 5:5; 11:5; Proverbs 6:16-19; Isaiah 61:8; Jeremiah 12:8; 44:4; Hosea 9:15; Amos 5:21; 6:8; Zechariah 8:17). Romans 9:13 is a quotation of Malachi 1:2-3, the last book in the Old Testament. By this time the twins Jacob and […]

When is the “appointed time” in 1 Corinthians 4:5?

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Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5 NIV) The “appointed time” in this verse is the judgment when Jesus will […]

What was the first temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness?

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It is possible that the first temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness was the temptation to turn stones into bread: both Matthew and Luke have this as the first mentioned temptation in their narratives (see Mat. 4:3 and Luke 4:3). However, the order of the second and third temptations in Matthew and Luke is reversed, […]

Are there examples in the Bible of people who believed but had no faith and people who believed and had faith?

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In the Bible, ‘belief’ and ‘faith’ are the same thing (see the answer to ‘What is the difference between faith and belief?‘), so we can’t really say that someone believes but doesn’t have faith because belief is faith. Having said that, the Bible does make a distinction between a living faith and a dead faith: a living […]

Was anyone in the Bible saved but later lost their salvation?

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There are examples in the Bible of people being saved but then losing their salvation. Perhaps the biggest example — the one involving the most people — is that of the Children of Israel who were saved out of Egypt: most of them lost their salvation because they rebelled against God, and so they died […]

Why is Mark 7:16 left out of the NIV?

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To understand why some translations omit Mark 7:16, first we need to understand a little bit about a process known as “textual criticism”. In brief, the original versions of the NT books (known as the “autographs”) are no longer available (they no doubt disintegrated many centuries ago). The Greek text we have today is based […]

What was the purpose for circumcision?

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Original reason for circumcision in the Old Testament Genesis 17 states that God required that Abraham and those of his house to be circumcised as a sign (NET “reminder”) of the covenant between God and Abraham and those who succeeded him. Why did God initiate this specific procedure? What was its meaning? The Bible does […]