In 2 Kings 5:27 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, is struck with leprosy:1 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. However, in 2 Kings 8:4 he is talking to the King. People with leprosy were excluded from regular society […]
What is significant about “stars” in the bible? Do they represent things apart from themselves?
Sometimes in the Bible ‘stars’ are simply just that: literal stars, ‘fixed luminous point[s] in the night sky which [are] large, remote incandescent [bodies] like the sun’.1 For example: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that […]
What is the difference between faith and belief?
There is no difference between ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ — they are the same thing. Although the words are different in English, the New Testament, for example, only has one family of words (from the root peithō (Strong’s #3982) in Greek) that are translated as both ‘faith’ and ‘belief’. Part of the reason why the Greek […]
Did Noah close the door of the ark seven days before the flood?
There are two parts to this. First, it was God who shut the door of the ark: And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him [Noah]. And the LORD shut him in. (Genesis 7:16) But this did take place seven days before the rain started: And […]
Was Jesus’ comment in Matthew 16:18 the start of the Roman Catholic church?
“I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”. (Matthew 16:18) Though it is likely that Peter did spend some time in Rome in later life (cf. 1 Peter 5:13) and probably died there in the persecutions instigated by Nero, the tradition that Peter was the first bishop of […]
Does Matthew 8:20 contradict John 1:38-39 on whether Jesus had a home?
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” John 1:38-39 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are […]
What does the Bible say about marriage continuing into eternity?
The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, tried to trap Jesus. They told the story of seven brothers, the first married a woman and died, the second married the same woman and then died, and so on. The Sadducees presumably thought that Jesus would either have to admit that this women would have […]
Is it sinful to have a wet dream?
Some people have wet dreams (otherwise known as nocturnal emissions)1 all throughout their lives,2 and some people don’t ever have any.3 They occur naturally,4 and can, for example, be the result of conditions such as having a full bladder while sleeping;5 so, although they might be a bit annoying, nocturnal emissions aren’t anything we should […]
Will Jesus return on 21 May 2011?
When Jesus left us and went to heaven, the disciples were given a prophecy: This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11) Since then, Christians have waited, sometimes impatiently, for Jesus’ return. And because the Bible is full […]
Does the Bible say π=3?
Bible skeptics often claim that the Bible makes this error, but it doesn’t. Here is the relevant verse (which occurs twice); it concerns a large circular basin in front of the temple in Jerusalem. Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, […]